To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War

by Jeff Shaara

Parker looked at him, shook his head. “I’ve given it up. Thought it would be interesting, maybe pass it along to my kids someday. Changed my mind. Nobody needs to know what’s happened here, what we’ve seen. I wrote all about Belleau Wood, how scared I was. Wrote what it felt like to run a bayonet into a man’s chest.” He looked at Temple again. “Why would anyone want to tell that to his own kids?”

The only thing I've seen in any war book I've ever read that takes a stab at explaining why combat veterans are loathe to talk about their experiences with anyone but former comrades in arms.