Army GI, Pacifist CO: The World War II Letters of Frank Dietrich and Albert Dietrich (World War II: the Global, Human, and Ethical Dimension) [Hardcover]

Frank Dietrich (Author), Albert Dietrich (Author), Scott H. Bennett (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0823223787 | ISBN-13: 978-0823223787 | Publication Date: April 15, 2005

Frank and Albert Dietrich were identical twins whose lives took very differentdirections during World War II. Drafted into the Army Air Corps and trained asa radio operator, Frank was shipped to the Philippines in 1945, where as a sergeantin the Fifth Air Force he prepared for the invasion of Japan. Albert, a pacifist,struggled mightily to become a conscientious objector and spent two yearsbuilding dams, saving farmland, and helping the poor at Civilian Service Campsin South Dakota, Iowa, and Florida.Raised in a close, religious, Pittsburgh family, Frank and Albert were inseparable asboys, sharing a strong social conscience. Divided by war, they kept in touch bywriting hundreds of letters to each other. The correspondence concerns everythingfrom the daily drudgery of service-loneliness, lousy food-to heartfelt debatesabout war, peace, and patriotism.This absorbing selection of letters offers fresh perspectives on the Americanexperience during World War II. The first published correspondence betweenGI and CO brothers, the letters are an uncommonly articulate chronicle of militaryservice and life on the home front, including GI marriage and parenthood. Backand forth, Frank and Albert also argued about the uses of armed force and pacifistnonviolence in the face of fascism and Nazism.Frank Dietrich's letters from Manila are vivid descriptions of a liberated city underan uneasy occupation. Albert provides an insider's view of the pacifist experience,especially the protracted efforts pacifists often had to wage to obtain CO status.Together, the letters bring to life different ways Americans chose to serve theircountry during one of its most dangerous and demanding times.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Dietrich worked as a social worker in Roswell, New Mexico, and later at the Veterans administration Hospital in Fort Lyon, Colorado. He and his wife Christine live in a retirement community in La Junta, Colorado. Albert Dietrich lived in Maine, where he worked as a social worker; he died in 2002. Scott H. Bennett teaches history at Georgian Court University and is the author of Radical Pacifism: The War Resisters League and Gandhian Nonviolence in America,1915-1963.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Fordham University Press (April 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823223787
• ISBN-13: 978-0823223787
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,939,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.