Making War at Fort Hood: Life and Uncertainty in a Military Community

by Kenneth T. MacLeish

An intimate look at war through the lives of soldiers and their families at Fort Hood

Making War at Fort Hood offers an illuminating look at war through the daily lives of the people whose job it is to produce it. Kenneth MacLeish conducted a year of intensive fieldwork among soldiers and their families at and around the US Army's Fort Hood in central Texas. He shows how war's reach extends far beyond the battlefield into military communities where violence is as routine, boring, and normal as it is shocking and traumatic.

Fort Hood is one of the largest military installations in the world, and many of the 55,000 personnel based there have served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. MacLeish provides intimate portraits of Fort Hood's soldiers and those closest to them, drawing on numerous in-depth interviews and diverse ethnographic material. He explores the exceptional position that soldiers occupy in relation to violence--not only trained to fight and kill, but placed deliberately in harm's way and offered up to die. The death and destruction of war happen to soldiers on purpose. MacLeish interweaves gripping narrative with critical theory and anthropological analysis to vividly describe this unique condition of vulnerability. Along the way, he sheds new light on the dynamics of military family life, stereotypes of veterans, what it means for civilians to say "thank you" to soldiers, and other questions about the sometimes ordinary, sometimes agonizing labor of making war.

Making War at Fort Hood is the first ethnography to examine the everyday lives of the soldiers, families, and communities who personally bear the burden of America's most recent wars.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Emily Smith]

a stunning, poignant ethnography. a must read for any academic engaging in violence and critique especially about the empire.

[Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at what war does to soldiers and their communities and families and, ultimately, all of us. This book was published for an academic audience, so there are sections that can come off as a bit dense to the lay reader, but the content is compelling enough to keep you reading and important enough to make you glad you did.

[Mike Mena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book occupies a unique space between creative non-fiction and academia. For those unfamiliar with military life, this is an awesome introduction. Not overly academic however insightful with some references to critical social theorists. Pretty good book.

[Sarah]

I went to college with Ken! He was brilliant and passionate, I can't wait to read what he's been working on.

[Hannah Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my 'political and economic anthropology' module and I highly enjoyed it

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some good material here, but the author enjoyed waxing poetic far too frequently; it really threw off the readability of this book for me.

[bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

had to read for uni but very very interesting

[Elizabeth Lund]

This fairly academic book had some interesting and insightful things to say about the modern military. However, I picked it up for the Fort Hood connection, and Fort Hood and Killeen were only a side topic in the book (though the author's research did take place at Fort Hood).

[notabattlechick · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'll have to wait for my H-Net review for the full take on it, but in the meantime, highly recommended.

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential book to understanding the roles and challenges of the military in society.