Moyar and General David H. Petraeus together in Afghanistan in 2010. Courtesy | Mark Moyar

In this Quick Hits, William P. Harris Chair of Military History Mark Moyar talks dad jokes, his favorite books, and his best advice for Hillsdale College students.

What is your favorite childhood memory? 

Reading the “Brothers Karamazov.” It’s still my favorite book.

What is one piece of advice you would give to students?

The time you spend learning now will help prepare you for the hardships of the future.

What book are you reading right now? 

“The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink,” by William Inboden. As a big Reagan fan, I would be reading it even if the Center for Military History and Strategy wasn’t hosting a talk by the author on Oct. 28.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?

My departure from the Trump administration was crazy enough that I wrote an entire book about it.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Embarrassing my children with middle-aged dad humor.

What is your favorite word?

Humility. Most of us need more of it.

Who is one person you look up to?

Chairman and Associate Professor of History Korey Maas. It’s always a good idea to look up to the department chair.

What never fails to make you laugh?

“Beavis and Butthead.”

What do you wish you learned sooner?

Maintaining a positive outlook is vital to outward success as well as inner peace.

What trait most defines who you are?

Opposition to leftist orthodoxies.

If you could change one event in history, what would it be?

The Vietnam War. I have spent decades explaining how the United States could have prevailed had its presidents made better decisions.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Having influence on the nation’s future leaders. Hillsdale graduates are becoming increasingly prominent in the nation’s affairs because of the college’s strengths as well as the decay of other elite educational institutions.