The warrior image : soldiers in American culture from the Second World War to the Vietnam era / Andrew J. Huebner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Huebner, Andrew J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civilization.

Soldiers.

History.

History, Military.

United States--History, Military--20th century.

United States.

United States--History, Military--20th century--Pictorial works.

Soldiers--United States--History--20th century.

Soldiers--United States--History--20th century--Pictorial works.

Soldiers in art.

Soldiers in literature.

Soldiers in motion pictures.

United States--Civilization--1945-.

United States--Civilization--1945---Pictorial works.

Popular culture--United States--History--20th century.

Popular culture.

Genre:

Pictorial works.

Illustrated works.

Physical Description:

x, 371 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2008]

Summary:

Images of war saturated American culture between the 1940s and the 1970s, as U.S. troops marched off to battle in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Exploring representations of servicemen in the popular press, government propaganda, museum exhibits, literature, film, and television, Andrew Huebner traces the evolution of a storied American icon-the combat soldier.

Huebner challenges the pervasive assumption that Vietnam brought drastic changes in portrayals of the American warrior, with the jaded serviceman of the 1960s and 1970s shown in stark contrast to the patriotic citizen-soldier of World War II. In fact, Huebner shows, cracks began to appear in sentimental images of the military late in World War II and were particularly apparent during the Korean conflict. Journalists, filmmakers, novelists, and poets increasingly portrayed the steep costs of combat, depicting soldiers who were harmed rather than hardened by war, isolated from rather than supported by their military leadership and American society. Across all three wars, Huebner argues, the warrior image conveyed a growing cynicism about armed conflict, the federal government, and Cold War militarization.

Contents:

Introduction: Beyond Telling or Imagining 1

Part I The World War II Era

1 Here Is Your War, 1941-1945 15

2 Little Guys with Golden Eagle Badges, 1945-1950 50

3 The Idea of Me, 1945-1950 70

Part II The Long 1950s

4 Kilroy Is Back, 1950-1953 97

5 The True Story of the Foot Soldier, 1951-1966 132

Part III The Vietnam Era

6 The Perplexing War, 1964-1968 171

7 I Gave Them a Good Boy, 1969-1973 207

8 A Dark Side to Man's Soul, 1967-1978 241

Conclusion: The Warrior Image 273.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [283]-353) and index.

ISBN:

9780807831441

0807831441

9780807858387

0807858382

OCLC:

156994402