By Thomas ChildersMilitary historian Childers, a professor at the Univ of Pennsylvania, tells the compelling stories of soldiers returning from World War 2 and how they are forever changed by their experiences in the war. He zeroes in on three specific servicemen and their very different backgrounds, wartime experiences and coping mechanisms. Surprisingly this is a page-turner.
We learn that not all soldiers return from the front and go on with their lives as before. Many struggled, never able to come to terms with what they'd seen and done. Childers tells the story of his own father who, though a responsible family man who stayed in his marriage, was always distant. Allen Willis lost a leg and struggled to cope with his changed life and his marriage. Michael Gold was a Jewish POW in Germany. After the war, he married, had 3 sons, and earned an MD; although he had a successful practice, he struggled and, as with Allen, his marriage failed. He did eventually come to terms with his wartime experience, remarried and moved to Barrington, where he participated in book discussion group led by Lauri Burke and me. During the course of the discussions, he mentioned that he was doing interviews for this fascinating book.
As a member of the baby boom generation, I knew plenty of men who fought in the war, but I don't recall any - even my own father - who readily spoke about their experiences. This book tells the story of at least some of the soldiers whose lives were forever changed by the pain and suffering of war.
Childers also authored the comprehensive World War II : a military and social history, part of the Great Courses series.
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