Book

The girls next door : bringing the home front to the front lines

Vuic, Kara Dixon, 1977- author

Overview

The emotional toll of war can be as debilitating to soldiers as hunger, disease, and injury. Beginning in World War I, in an effort to boost soldiers' morale and remind them of the stakes of victory, the American military formalized a recreation program that sent respectable young women and famous entertainers overseas. Kara Dixon Vuic builds her narrative around the young women from across the United States, many of whom had never traveled far from home, who volunteered to serve in one of the nation's most brutal work environments. From the \"Lassies\" in France and mini-skirted coeds in Vietnam to Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe, Vuic provides a fascinating glimpse into wartime gender roles and the tensions that continue to complicate American women's involvement in the military arena. The recreation-program volunteers heightened the passions of troops but also domesticated everyday life on the bases. Their presence mobilized support for the war back home, while exporting American culture abroad. Carefully recruited and selected as symbols of conventional femininity, these adventurous young women saw in the theater of war a bridge between public service and private ambition. This story of the women who talked and listened, danced and sang, adds an intimate chapter to the history of war and its ties to life in peacetime.-- Provided by publisher

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Subject: United States. Army Military life History 20th century. / Women and war United States History 20th century. / Soldiers Recreation United States History 20th century. / World War, 1914-1918 War work. / World War, 1939-1945 War work. / Korean War, 1950-1953 War work. / Vietnam War, 1961-1975 War work. / Military morale United States History 20th century.
• ISBN: 9780674986381

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Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
JZ6405.W66 V85 2019	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE