by
Cooke, James J.
Call Number
082 4940.5373
Publication Date
2012
Summary
As World War II dawned in Europe, General George C. Marshall, the new Army Chief of Staff, had to acknowledge that American society - and the citizens who would soon become soldiers - had drastically changed in the previous few decades. Almost every home had a radio, movies could talk, and driving in an automobile to the neighborhood soda fountain was part of everyday life. A product of newly created mass consumerism, the soldier of 1940 had expectations of material comfort, even while at war. Historian James J. Cooke presents the first comprehensive look at how Marshall's efforts to cheer soldiers far from home resulted in the enduring morale services that the Army provides still today. Marshall understood that civilian soldiers provided particular challenges and wanted to improve the subpar morale services that had been provided to Great War doughboys. Frederick Osborn, a civilian intellectual, was called to head the newly formed morale branch, which quickly became the Special Services Division. Hundreds of on-post movie theaters showing first-run movies at reduced prices, service clubs where GIs could relax, and inexpensive cafeterias were constructed. The Army Exchange System took direction under Brigadier General Joseph Byron, offering comfort items at low prices; the PX sold everything from cigarettes and razor blades to low-alcohol beer in very popular beer halls. The great civic organizations - the YMCA, the Salvation Army, the Jewish Welfare Board, and others - were brought together to form the United Service Organizations (USO). At USO Camp Shows, admired entertainers like Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Frances Langford brought home-style entertainment to soldiers within the war zones. As the war heightened in intensity, the Special Service Companies grew to over forty in number, each containing more than one hundred enlisted men. Trained in infantry skills, soldiers in the companies at times would have to stop showing movies, pick up their rifles, and fight. The Special Services Division, PX, and USO were crucial elements in maintaining GI morale, and Cooke's work makes clear the lasting legacy of these efforts to boost the average soldier's spirits almost a century ago. The idea that as American soldiers serve abroad, they should have access to at least some of the comforts of home has become a cultural standard. -- Book jacket.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
164700.2656
by
Hogan, Martin J. (Martin Joseph), 1901-
Call Number
940.41273 22
Publication Date
2007
Summary
"Hogan shares his frontline experience at St. Mihiel and in the Argonne Forest as a National Guardsman in the 165th Infantry's Shamrock Battalion, a regiment in the famed Rainbow Division of World War I. His memories of Chaplain Father Francis Duffy and others present the war from the soldier's perspective"--Provided by publisher.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
128786.7344
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by
Kilcup, Karen L.
Call Number
810.99287 21
Publication Date
1999
Summary
"In their innovative treatments of seemingly incomparable works, these critics promote dialogue not only about the texts under consideration but also about the very nature of how we read across lines of gender, race, class, and history. Individually, the essays are insightful and strong; collectively, they highlight the vibrancy of current research on nineteenth -century American women writers in particular and nineteenth-century American literature in general ... an ideal critical companion for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses."--Annie Merrill Ingram, Symploke.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.1430
by
Johnson, E. A. (Edward Arnold)
Call Number
581.7 22
Publication Date
2007
Summary
The media coverage of natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, floods, ice storms, etc.) indicates the prevalence of natural disasters in most, if not all, ecosystems. In order for scientists to study, understand, and ultimately predict how these disturbances affect ecosystems, it is necessary for them to know more about the physical processes involved in these disturbances and to learn how to couple these processes to the ecological systems. Essential for all ecologists, forest researchers, and conservation biologists, this book includes chapters on the disturbance processes, how the disturbance causes necrosis or death to individuals, and their effects on population or community processes. In this book, physical scientists who study disturbances provide an introduction to the physical disturbance processes, while ecologists relate this information to the way the vegetation responds to the disturbances. This reference is also key for all researchers hydrology, geomorphology, and environmental management. * Includes coverage on six different disturbance processes: Wind, Gravity, Geomorphic, Hydrologic, Combustion, and Biotic * Provides a clear explanation of how some of the physical processes of disturbance affect plant ecological processes * Offers ecologists an up-to-date understanding of the physical processes and allows them to predict future affects of disturbances * Unites two related fields by linking the disturbance processes and ecological responses * Presents physical scientists with ideas of how they might usefully apply their knowledge to advance understanding of ecological systems.
Format:
Electronic Resources
Relevance:
0.1112
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