Another letter:

As someone who offers US military history at a university where I am actually allowed to cover war, I agree with John Miller’s assessment of the status military history at America’s leading academic institutions. Reinforcing his views is a recent conversation with the renowned military history professor John Linn; the University of Illinois will not replace him with another military historian when he retires. The Society For Military History, the largest body of military historians in the US and probably internationally, is well aware of the academy’s ongoing “war of attrition” to expunge military historians slowly over time, although students certainly demand that such courses continue. Unfortunately, SMH has yet to admit that military historians are a persecuted minority in academia and exactly the types of marginalized people that the social and international historians are supposed to be championing. Sadly, the outcome! will be that the sacrifices and experiences of millions of American men and women who served this country in peace and war will be forgotten unless the issue is made public through televised debates on the History Channel or other such venues such as C-SPAN. I trust that when the American people come to realize what is going on in America’s top universities concerning military history, they can bring sufficient financial and political pressure to bear to make a difference. There is little hope unless that occurs.
Sincerely,
Walter E. Kretchik, PhD
Assistant Professor of History
Western Illinois University