Told through the stories of the combatants themselves, this unique history of the soldier provides a penetrating insight into the politics, emotions and psychology of war and its aftermath. Focusing primarily on the period from the Napoleonic Wars to the Global War on Terror, Darren Moore draws upon hundreds of narrative accounts of warfare written by soldiers from the UK, France, the USA, Canada, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Australia, Israel and Germany, to tell their story from basic training to discharge or death. Darren Moore lets the soldiers' own words reveal how they confront the possibility of being mutilated or killed; the mental and social conditioning that enables them to kill in battle; and the anguish of killing their comrades, whether through the death penalty or as a result of 'friendly fire'. The book also examines the relationship between love, sex and war and reveals the 'trial by media' faced by modern soldiers. "The Soldier" is a compelling tribute to our servicemen and women that is both topical and timeless.