Without the vital support of several people this project would never have gotten off the ground. The gathering of the memories from the veterans I have interviewed has proven to be more valuable than any book one can read about war and peace. The experience granted to me through Missouri Southern has allowed me to expand my education from the classroom to the battlefield.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Margaret McCaleb and the late Kenneth McCaleb for creating The McCaleb Initiative for Peace. Without the generosity of the McCalebs, the journalistic investigation of peace and war studies would not be possible at Southern.

I would also like to thank Dr. Larry Cebula, associate professor of history, who has provided support and advice throughout the past nine months. The success of the project would not have been possible without his devotion. Thanks to everyone in the History and Social Sciences departments for providing me with wonderful support.

I would also like to thank Dr. Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute for International Studies, the Institute and Sharon Brown for overseeing the McCaleb and all the support they offered during the project.

I am grateful for all the veterans who have come forward to share their memories of war with me.

These veterans have given me a part of their own past and shared with me many of their horrific stories of sacrifice. I hope to honor these men with the articles that follow.

Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their kind words of encouragement and random acts of kindness, without which I would not have been able to endure my pursuit of an education.