American soldiers : ground combat in the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam

Some warriors are drawn to the thrill of combat and find it the defining moment of their lives. Others fall victim to fear, exhaustion, impaired reasoning and despair. This book synthesizes the wartime experiences of American soldiers, from the doughboys of World War I to the grunts of Vietnam. Focusing on both soldiers and marines, it draws on histories and memoirs, oral histories, psychological and sociological studies and even fiction to show that their experiences remain fundamentally the same regardless of the enemy, terrain, training or weaponry. A sobering chronicle of war as well as a tribute to soldiers' perseverance in the face of its horrors that draws upon soldiers' memoirs, psychological studies, and oral histories to show that - regardless of the enemy, terrain, training, or weaponry - combat soldiers' wartime experiences remain fundamentally the same. Publisher Fact Sheet. Annotation. Kindsvatter takes readers inside the minds of soldiers from World War I through Vietnam, revealing what motivated them to serve, how they dealt with danger and hardship, the roles of comradeship, leadership, and belief in cause and country. The study uses memoirs, oral histories, psychological studies, and fiction to show that the wartime experiences of American soldiers are essentially the same regardless of enemy, terrain, training, weaponry, or era.