He Enlisted Believing in Honor and Purpose, But Somewhere Between the First Salute and the First Gunfire, He Began to Question the War—and Himself

When Jacob Miller raised his right hand in the recruitment office in Des Moines, Iowa, he felt taller than he ever had before. The flag behind the sergeant seemed brighter, almost sacred, and the words of the oath rolled off his tongue with a clarity that made his chest tighten with pride. “You’re doing something that matters,” the recruiter had …