Writers who served in the military

Posted on November 11, 2019 at 10:11 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

In honor of Veterans Day, we've compiled a long list of writers who also served in the military and grouped them by war.

While some of the authors aren't American, we've included them to honor their service (though since this is a U.S. holiday, we've stuck to wars that America fought in).

We know there are plenty of others and are happy to have you share the names of writers you wish we'd mentioned.

Civil War

Ambrose Bierce (“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” The Devil’s Dictionary)

Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass)

World War I

e.e. cummings (“i carry your heart with me”)

Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell To Arms)

T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia (Seven Pillars of Wisdom)

C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)

A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

Erich Maria Remarque (All Quiet on the Western Front)

May Sinclair (Mary Olivier: A Life, The Life and Death of Harriett Frean)

J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit)

World War II

Kingsley Amis (Lucky Jim, The Old Devils)

Isaac Asimov (I, Robot)

Arthur C. Clarke (The Space Odyssey series)

Roald Dahl (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

William Golding (The Lord of the Flies)

Joseph Heller (Catch-22)

James Jones (From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line)

J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey)

Leon Uris (Exodus)

Gore Vidal (Narratives of Empire series)

Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five, Cat’s Cradle)

Herman Wouk (The Caine Mutiny)

Korean War

Chaim Potok (I Am The Clay)

Jerry Pournelle (The Mercenary)

Gene Wolfe (Book of the New Sun series)

Vietnam War

Joe Haldeman (The Forever War)

David Drake (Hammer’s Slammers series)

Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time series)

Tim O’Brien (The Things They Carried)

Elizabeth Anne Scarborough (The Healer’s War)

Tobias Wolff (In Pharaoh’s Army)

Iraq and Afghanistan wars

Elliot L. Ackerman (Green on Blue)

Jane Blair (Hesitation Kills)

Matthew Gallagher (Youngblood)

Shoshana Johnson (I’m Still Standing)

Phil Klay (Redeployment)

Michael Pitre (Fives and Twenty-Fives)

Roy Scranton (War Porn)

Maximilian Uriarte (The White Donkey)

Nico Walker (Cherry)

Also served

Robert A. Heinlein (Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land)