War, it has been said , is God’s way of teaching us geography. Despite our general aversion to learning, Americans have long been enthusiastic pupils in this particular classroom. Port Royal. Tripoli. Veracruz. Gettysburg. Wounded Knee. Jutland. Belleau Wood. Corregidor. Guadalcanal. Dresden. Normandy. Tinian. Hiroshima. Inchon. Seoul. Khe Sahn. My Lai. Saigon. Bagram. Abu Ghraib.