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The United States, in the summer of 1941, was happy to watch the great Joe DiMaggio extend his legendary hitting streak, but newsreel footage of armies on the march overseas cast a pall over the summer's giddiness. By the end of the year, Pearl Harbor had been attacked and America was at war, and millions of ordinary citizens were about to learn that they were expected to accomplish great things. This video presents a nostalgic look at how Americans of both genders suddenly pitched in for the war effort. Millions of men became GIs (slang for "government issue"), learning to fight and survive in places that a year before had been totally unknown. Archival films show both the extraordinary and mundane aspects of serving Uncle Sam, and while the footage of amphibious invasions and aerial combat is dramatic, perhaps the most interesting parts of this video are the segments showing what day-to-day life was like serving in the World War II military. There are scenes of basic training, and footage showing the cramped quarters found on troop ships and in hastily constructed barracks. The viewer will learn about (or will be reminded of) such things as "V-Mail" and the ration stamps those living stateside had to use during the war. The video concludes with an address by Dwight Eisenhower, filmed some years after the war, in which he pays tribute to the young men and women who served the U.S. during World War II. This video provides a realistic look at what it was like to serve, and makes a good adjunct to Tom Brokaw's
The Greatest Generation.
--Robert J. McNamara
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