They Also Served

"Separated from family, old friends, and careers, and unable to plan for the future, the citizen-soldiers of World War II usually made the best of each day as it came. Few found the routine and uncertainity of military life congenial, and if their units were assigned rear echelon duties their soldiering often seemed to have little to do with winning the war. But they handled their frustrations with remarkable self-sufficiency. The major focus in this book is on an Air Force Service Squadron, the 318th, that patiently endured nearly three years of service in North America. It also related the experiences of unassigned enlisted men, who also seemed "to stand and wait" for months at a time as "casuals." It is about individuals who remained themselves in spite of regulations and orders as they were shipped about from Texas to Tunisia. It is also about friendships and loyalties, and unusual people and places. Interspersed in this first-hand account of army life are reports of changes and painful problems at home which those in the service could do virtually nothing about"--Dust jacket.