The Warrior Image: Soldiers in American Culture from the Second World War to the Vietnam Era

by Andrew J. Huebner

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807868218
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	12/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Andrew J. Huebner is assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction: Beyond Telling or Imagining     1
The World War II Era
Here Is Your War, 1941-1945     15
Little Guys with Golden Eagle Badges, 1945-1950     50
The Idea of Me, 1945-1950     70
The Long 1950s
Kilroy Is Back, 1950-1953     97
The True Story of the Foot Soldier, 1951-1966     132
The Vietnam Era
The Perplexing War, 1964-1968     171
I Gave Them a Good Boy, 1969-1973     207
A Dark Side to Man's Soul, 1967-1978     241
Conclusion: The Warrior Image     273
Notes     283
Bibliography     333
Text Credits     355
Index     357

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

From The Best Years of Our Lives to Coming Home, Huebner's lively and revealing study will challenge many glib assumptions about the differences between the 'greatest generation' of World War II and the baby boomers of the 1960s.—Christian Appy, author of Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam



Huebner effectively challenges the idea that modern Americans did not really question the nation's wars before Vietnam. His excellent book shows that antiwar sentiment already occupied significant cultural space during World War II and the Cold War.—John Bodnar, Indiana University

Editorial Reviews

Well written, thoughtful, and an important contribution to understanding the popular image of the American soldier.—On Point



A welcome contribution to the history of visual and textual representations of the foot soldier.—American Journalism



The strength of Huebner's account . . . is the nuanced way he analyzes his material.—The Journal of Military History



A positive addition to not only the historiography of military history, but also to the study of popular culture and film. Huebner has conducted significant research in both fields, and his contribution to the 1941-1982 period is relevant beyond traditional military history.—Military History of the West



Huebner sees important parallels between World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. . . . One of the most important contributions made by Huebner is his examination of the Korean War.—The Journal of American History



Clear, jargon-free prose. . . . Raises—and addresses—important questions about media representations of wartime and warriors at a time when the United States remains militarily involved around the globe.—American Studies

From the Publisher