The Greatest Generation Comes Home

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 and 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 American 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.