Keene offers a solid introduction to the trials and tribulations experienced by American soldiers as they took part in the World War….In a clear and concise manner, she begins with an overview of the events leading to the American declaration of war. She then proceeds through the drafting and training of the army, the process of adjusting to fighting overseas, and the frustrations of men waiting to return home after achieving victory….The real value in Keene's work is her ability to look beyond the trenches of the Western Front, which have long dominated any discussion of the World War, and illuminate the struggles of a people and a nation engaging in their first truly international and modern war….[A] welcome addition to the library of the casual reader and the serious scholar alike.

The Journal of Military History

Keene provides, for students and general readers, an account of the daily lives of American enlisted men during World War I, recounting their experiences from training camps to France and back home. She gives an overview of the causes of the war and the overall strategy, but focuses mostly on their experiences in service. Topics discussed include the effect of the war on men and women at home; morale, personal habits, and religion; diversity, particularly the experiences of African American and foreign born soldiers and female nurses and war workers; fighting and service roles; casualties, death, and the 1918 influenza pandemic; the reaction of soldiers to the Armistice; and their postwar lives.

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