Napoleon’s soldiers learned that “living off the land” often meant making others starve. Those soldiers were mostly conscripts who had no choice but follow orders and face the gruesome consequences. In America our veterans are volunteers, yet they still know better than anyone that war is not abstract—it’s human, filled with folly and unimaginable human suffering. This Veteran’s Day, let’s honor not only the bravery of those who serve, but their deep understanding of what war actually asks of them, and the world.