David Kieran, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Colonel Richard R. Hallock Distinguished Chair in Military History
History, Geography, and Philosophy, Department of
Arnold Hall 123
History, Mental Health
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., George Washington UniversityB.A., Connecticut College
Biography
David Kieran is Associate Professor of History and the COL Richard R. Hallock Distinguished
University Chair of Military History. A historian of war, the military, and society
in recent U.S. history, he has a particular interest in the U.S. war in Vietnam, the
United States' twenty-first century wars, and the organizational culture of the U.S.
Army.
Academic Areas
War, the Military, and Society; 20th Century U.S. Cultural History; Memory Studies; Public History
Research Interests
Dr. Kieran is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books. His most recent book, _Signature Wounds: The Untold Story of the Military’s Mental Health Crisis_ (NYU, 2019) examines how mental health became a signal preoccupation of military medical providers, military leaders, politicians, and the general public during the United States’ twenty-first century wars. It tells the story of how growing concern over post-traumatic stress (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and suicide informed debates over the military engagements the United States should undertake, the nature of contemporary military service, and the relationship between the all-volunteer military and the culture in which it exists. His first book, _Forever Vietnam: How A Divisive War Changed American Public Memory_ (Massachusetts, 2014), argues that over the past fifty years, recalling and revising the memorial practices central to Vietnam’s legacy became the primary means through which Americans remembered other events and made them significant spaces for debating important issues about foreign policy and veterans’ affairs.In addition, he is editor of _The War of My Generation: Youth Culture and the War on Terror_ (Rutgers, 2015), a collection that studied both popular culture aimed at millennials and their activism in the face of the War on Terror; the co-editor, with Rebecca A. Adelman, of _Remote Warfare: New Cultures of Violence (Minnesota, 2020), a volume that seeks to move debate over drones and other remote warfare technology beyond debates over ethics and efficacy; and the co-editor (with Edwin A. Martini) of _At War: The Military and American Culture in the Twentieth Century and Beyond_ (Rutgers, 2018). His chapters and articles have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous publications, including the Journal of War and Culture Studies, War & Society, American Studies, the Journal of American Studies, Modern American History, and The Journal of Policy History.
His current projects include _The U.S. Army and Social Change_ (Cornell University Press, forthcoming), co-edited with Beth Bailey, a volume that examines how the U.S. Army has confronted complex social issues in the post-war era, and _The Long War: American Experiences in Iraq_ (under contract, University Press of Kansas), co-edited with Michael Denehy, a volume that pairs short, accessible essays with oral histories with Americans and Iraqis in order to explore the diverse experiences and impacts of the Iraq War. He is also completing a book, _When In Charge, Take Charge: Max Thurman, Carl Vuono, and the Remaking of the U.S. Army After Vietnam_ (Under Contract, University of North Carolina Press), a history of organizational and cultural change in the Army between 1973 and 1991.
During Academic Year 2024-2025, Dr. Kieran served as the Harold K. Johnson Chair of Military History at the United States Army War College in Carlisle Pennsylvania. He is currently a Trustee of the Society for Military History. He has held long-term fellowships at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Utah and been awarded short-term research fellowships by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Mississippi State University.
Dr. Kieran regularly teaches Introduction to U.S. Military History as well as advanced courses including The U.S. War in Vietnam, 9/11 and the War on Terror in U.S. Culture, and War and Memory, and he regularly teaches courses that engage students in partnerships with community organizations while creating digital and physical exhibitions that share their research with the community beyond the classroom. He has also led study abroad trips focusing on military history and war and memory to the Republic of Korea and Vietnam.
As the Hallock Professor of Military History, Dr. Kieran also directs the Hallock Endowment for Military History (https://www.columbusstate.edu/hallock/) which sponsors an annual thematic lecture series, the annual Hallock Distinguished Lecture, and other events and which partners with the Columbus State University Archives to develop CSU's military history collections.