A Religious History of the American GI in World War II breaks new ground by recounting the armed forces' unprecedented efforts to meet the spiritual needs of the fifteen million men and women who served in World War II. For President Franklin D. Roosevelt and many GIs, religion remained a core American value that fortified their resolve in the fight against Axis tyranny. While combatants turned to fellow comrades for support, even more were sustained by prayer. GIs flocked to services, and when they mourned comrades lost in battle, chaplains offered solace and underscored the righteousness of their cause. This study is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the social history of the American GI during World War II. Drawing on an extensive range of letters, diaries, oral histories, and memoirs, G. Kurt Piehler challenges the conventional wisdom that portrays the American GI as a nonideological warrior.

Mobilizing a faithful nation for war --Mobilizing chaplains and building chapels -- Turning civilians into GIs -- Pilgrims to the four corners of the world -- Religion and the ethical conduct of War -- Fear, faith, and the will to fight -- The question of race and religion -- Patriarchy and the religious life of military women -- The wounded -- The dead -- Prisoners of war -- Religion and reconciliation with enemies.