At the conclusion of World War II, Americans anxiously 
contemplated the return to peace. It was an uncertain time, rife with 
concerns about demobilization, inflation, strikes, and the return of a 
second Great Depression. Balanced against these challenges was 
the hope in a future of unparalleled opportunities for a generation 
raised in hard times and war.

    One of the remarkable untold stories of postwar America is the 
successful assimilation of sixteen million veterans back into civilian 
society after 1945. The G.I. generation returned home filled with the 
same sense of fear and hope that most citizens felt at the time. 
Their transition from conflict to normalcy is one of the greatest 
chapters in American history.

    The Greatest Generation Comes Home combines military and 
social history into a comprehensive narrative of the veteran's 
experience after World War II. It integrates early impressions of home 
in 1945 with later stories of medical recovery, education, work, 
politics, and entertainment, as well as moving accounts of the 
dislocation, alienation, and discomfort many faced. This book 
includes the experiences of not only the millions of veterans drawn 
from mainstream white America but also the women, African 
Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans who served the nation.

    Perhaps most important, this book also examines the legacy 
bequeathed by these veterans to later generations who served in 
uniform on new battlefields around the world.

_________________________________________________________

MICHAEL D. GAMBONE teaches American history at Kutztown 
University in Pennsylvania and holds a Ph.D. from the University of 
Chicago. A specialist on American foreign policy, he is the author of 
Eisenhower, Somoza, and the Cold War in Nicaragua, 1953–1961.


Number Ninety-nine: Texas A&M University Military History Series


What people are saying about this book

" . . . a wide-ranging and clearly written book that provides a 
welcome and useful study of the return of the veterans to American 
life. . . . the best overall study of the veterans' return."—The Historian

"Michael Gambone’s study of America’s greatest generation is well-
written, scholarly, and informative. It makes a valuable contribution to 
the literature of the post-World War II era and represents the first 
comprehensive treatment of veterans care in the United States. His 
work is superbly illustrated and it contains an outstanding 
bibliographical essay, leading the reader to other sources of 
information."—On Point, Winter 2007-2008

"For anyone interested in the history of veterans and their connection to 
society at large, this book is essential."—Military History, Sept. 2005

"Scholars, students, and general readers alike will enjoy this fast paced, 
informative, insightful, and deeply researched account of how sixteen 
million returning veterans changed America. Attentive to issues of race 
and gender, labor, education, and healthcare, and to the representation 
of veterans in popular culture, the study makes for fascinating reading. 
Most importantly, the veterans’ poignant voices emerge loud and clear."
—David M. Wrobel, University of Nevada Las Vegas, And President, Phi 
Alpha Theta, National History Honor Society, Inc.

". . . outstanding—clear, concise, and with the right amount of drama. 
I do not know of any other book that pulls together so many issues 
that affected the returning soldiers' lives."—Nancy Gentile Ford, 
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, author of Americans All: 
Foreign-born Soldiers in World War II

"This is the place to . . . learn about African American, women, Latino, 
or Asian American veterans, the veteran in film, employment and 
education of veterans, the role of the Veterans' Administration, and the 
effect of World War II service on the Korean War."—William A. Pencak, 
Pennsylvania State University