Paul Fussell, literary scholar, professor, and author of many works, most notably his book on World War I  ”The Great War and Modern Memory,” died Wednesday morning at the age of 88. A veteran of World War II, Fussell tackled the absurdity of war romanticization and journalistic censorship with a keen experiential and literary eye.

This unsettling and brilliant  excerpt from “Wartime,” originally printed in the August 1989 issue of the Atlantic Monthly,  is sure to stick with you:  THE REAL WAR 1939-1945