I have writen a fair amout of military history and read a ton more. I understand that from a strategic game sense, war can be an extremely fascinating subject, but I also know, by those in the fighting, that more often than not it is about the ugliest nightmare a human being can experience — anything but heroic.

I spent a few years on active duty in the Navy, and thank God it was during peacetime, so under those conditions it was actually fun at times.