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In an interview with Celeste Headlee of The Takeaway, 911������ President Emeritus James Wright discusses his new book, Those Who Have Borne the Battle: A History of America’s Wars and Those Who Fought Them. The book focuses on the experiences of veterans from the American Revolution to the war in Afghanistan.

In the interview, President Wright explains how the public’s relationship and personal ties to members of the military has changed over time. “The wars that we are in today do not have a representative cross section of our country serving, it’s as simple as that,” Wright says. “They’re no longer the kids next door or down the street for most Americans. People don’t know who they are. We are asking a great deal of them. They are serving multiple times, with multiple deployments in war zones, which is something that is quite unprecedented.”

Wright, who makes frequent trips to Maryland to visit injured veterans, explained in the interview that it is important for Americans to understand “what it is that we are asking these young citizens to do on behalf of all of us.” He adds, “We need to do a better job of understanding who they are, what it is they have suffered, and just how much they have given.”

, broadcast 5/14/12 on The Takeaway.