Optimism at Armageddon

by Mark Meigs

The experiences of American soldiers in World War I differed enormously from those of European combatants. With the United States emerging from its previous isolation, soldiers arrived in the European theater late, fought briefly, and soon found themselves among the victors. Combat in the trenches - the brutal warfare that so dominated the war experience for Europeans - was over too quickly to define the conflict for Americans. Exposed for the first time to a foreign culture and bombarded by the messages of America's first concerted propaganda campaign, doughboys and other American participants struggled to make sense of their role and participation in the war. No aspect of their lives in the service was left to themselves. Censorship of their letters both encouraged certain kinds of expression and discouraged others. The propaganda machine interpreted everything for them. Mark Meigs here juxtaposes more "official" views - as expressed in speeches and in The Stars and Stripes, army han