Is any war a “good war”? In Worshipping the Myths of World War II, the author takes a critical look at what he sees is America’s dedication to war as panacea and as Washington’s primary method for leading the world. Articulating why he believes the lessons of World War II are profoundly relevant to today’s events, Edward W. Wood, Jr., reflects on such topics as the killing of innocents, which became increasingly accepted during the war; on how actual killing is usually ignored in war discussions and reporting; on the lifetime impact of frontline duty, which he knew firsthand; on the widely accepted concept of “the Greatest Generation”; on present criteria for judging war memoirs and novels; on the fallacy that the United States won the war largely on its own; and on the effect that the Holocaust had on our national concepts of evil and purity. His final chapter centers on how the “war on terror” is different from World War II—and why the myths created about the latter hide that reality.
2007 Outstanding Academic Title selection from Choice Magazine
Edward W. Wood, Jr., was severely wounded in World War II. A retired city planner, he is the author of On Being Woundedand Beyond the Weapons of Our Fathers. His articles, essays, and poetry have appeared in publications ranging from the U.S. Air Force Academy journal War, Literature & the Arts to The Friends Journal. He lives in Denver.
Table of Contents
Preface ix Introduction: Worshipping War in America 1 The First Myth: "The Good War" The Killing of Innocents 19 The Moral Dilemma of the Combat Infantryman 39 The Impact of World War II on Its Soldiers 55 The Second Myth: "The Greatest Generation" On Judging Artistic Interpretations of World War II 71 The World War II Memoir 87 The World War II Novel 105 An Opportunity Lost 113 The Third Myth: "We Won World War II Largely on Our Own" America Triumphant 131 The Fourth Myth: "When Evil Lies in Others, War Is the Means to Justice" The Holocaust and the "Evil" Other 145 Beyond the Myths of World War II New Ways of Thinking and Acting 169 Epilogue 195 Notes 197 Selected Bibliography 213 Index 233 About the Author 243
