Recently, best-selling author and award-winning New York Times journalist CJ Chivers visited West Point and spoke to cadets and faculty at an MWI-organized event. A former infantry officer in the US Marine Corps, Chivers has become one of America’s most well-known and respected journalists. In 2011, his book The Gun was published, tracing the history of the Kalashnikov assault rifle—the AK-47—the world’s most abundant weapon. His newest book is The Fighters: Americans in Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, which he discussed during this event.

The book tells the stories of some of the more than 2.7 million Americans who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. Watch the full video of his remarks below.