William Broyles

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William Broyles (b. 1944) was born in Houston, Texas. After studying as a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, he served with the marines in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971, an experience he would write about in Brothers in Arms: A Journey from War to Peace (now titled Goodbye Vietnam). After his tour of duty, Broyles became a journalist, contributing to many publications including the Atlantic, the Economist, and Esquire. His essay “Why Men Love War” was included in The Eighty Greatest Esquire Stories of All Time. Broyles was the founding editor of Texas Monthly as well as editor in chief of Newsweek. He is also renowned as a screenwriter, having co-created the television series China Beach—which was inspired by Goodbye Vietnam—and written or co-written such films as Apollo 13, Cast Away, Flags of Our Fathers, and Jarhead.