About the book, from the publisher: World War II shaped the
United States in profound ways, and this new book—the first in
the Legacies of War series—explores one of the most significant
changes it fostered: a dramatic increase in ethnic and religious
tolerance. A Nation Forged in War is the first full-length study
of how large-scale mobilization during the Second World War
helped to dissolve long-standing differences among white
soldiers of widely divergent backgrounds. Never before or since
have so many Americans served in the armed forces at one time:
more than 15 million donned uniforms in the period from 1941 to
1945. Thomas Bruscino explores how these soldiers’ shared
experiences—enduring basic training, living far from home,
engaging in combat—transformed their views of other ethnic
groups and religious traditions. He further examines how
specific military policies and practices worked to counteract
old prejudices, and he makes a persuasive case that throwing
together men of different regions, ethnicit