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osu1228073243.pdf (4.84 MB)
ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
“Sherman was Right”: The Experience of AEF Soldiers in the Great War
Author Info
Gutierrez, Edward Anthony
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228073243
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2008, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
Abstract
When the United States declared war in the spring of 1917, American men went to war with idyllic visions of warfare. This study explores the state of mind of the AEF soldier during the Great War, an issue that has challenged scholars in the field since the troops returned home. With the use of Military Service Records (MSRs or questionnaires) issued in 1919 from four states as its core source, this dissertation argues that the American cultural glorification of warfare created an impetuous doughboy, who believed war was a game and the path to manhood. Employing these neglected firsthand descriptions of the war in the uncensored words of veterans provides understanding of American military identity; it removes the uniform and studies the individual – whether it is an aristocratic New Englander who hungered to prove his masculinity or an African American blacksmith fighting for his equality. Cultural differences aside, the naïveté of the doughboy was overwhelming; he believed the war would be an enjoyable adventure, but learned General Sherman was right – war is hell.
Committee
Geoffrey Parker, PhD (Advisor)
John Guilmartin, PhD (Committee Member)
Peter Mansoor, PhD (Committee Member)
Brian Joseph, PhD (Other)
Leonard Smith, PhD (Other)
Pages
295 p.
Subject Headings
Military History
Keywords
AEF
;
World War I
;
Great War
;
Combat
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Citations
Gutierrez, E. A. (2008).
“Sherman was Right”: The Experience of AEF Soldiers in the Great War
[Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228073243
APA Style (7th edition)
Gutierrez, Edward.
“Sherman was Right”: The Experience of AEF Soldiers in the Great War.
2008. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228073243.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Gutierrez, Edward. "“Sherman was Right”: The Experience of AEF Soldiers in the Great War." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1228073243
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
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Document number:
osu1228073243
Download Count:
5,449
Copyright Info
© 2008, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.