Part I: The Nitty-Gritty of U.S. Military History.

Chapter 1: Why This Stuff Is Important.

Chapter 2: Why America Goes to War and Who We Fight.

Chapter 3: Meeting the Players.

Chapter 4: Lining Up the Armed Services.

Chapter 5: The Changing Experience of Warfare.

Part II: Born in War.

Chapter 6: When the English Were Our Friends: Battling the Indians and the French.

Chapter 7: So You Want to Start a Revolution: The War for Independence.

Chapter 8: War and Peace: Battling Indians, Old Friends, Tax Delinquents, and Pirates.

Chapter 9: We Have Met the Enemy: The War of 1812.

Part III: Forged in War.

Chapter 10: To the Halls of Montezuma: Fighting Mexico.

Chapter 11: The Civil War.

Chapter 12: The “Indian Wars”: The Army Secures the Frontier.

Chapter 13: “Remember the Maine!” Fighting Spain and the Filipinos.

Part IV Going Global: The World Wars.

Chapter 14: Over There: The First World War.

Chapter 15: The Looming Crisis: World War II before American Involvement.

Chapter 16: The Greatest War: World War II.

Part V: Bearing Any Burden: The Cold War and the Unpaid Peace Dividend.

Chapter 17: Toying with Nuclear Armageddon: The Cold War Years.

Chapter 18: Hot War in Asia: The Korean War.

Chapter 19: The Very Long War: Vietnam.

Chapter 20: A War with Allies: The Persian Gulf War.

Chapter 21: The Long War Ahead: Terrorism, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Part VI:The Part of Tens.

Chapter 22: The Ten Best Generals in U.S. Military History.

Chapter 23: The Ten Worst Generals in U.S. Military History.

Chapter 24: The Ten Best Movies on U.S. Military History.

Index.