"In 1917 and 1918 some two million Americans crossed the Atlantic to participate in the first great crusade in Europe. it was a profound experience for these young men : the first mass American discovery of Europe and of the realities of warfare in the twentieth century. The experience was as diverse as the backgrounds of the men themselves and their varying encounters. It molded their future thoughts and lives in many ways and thus helped shape the direction of the American nature. The purpose of this account of some of them is to suggest what the war meant to them all and what it may signify in the American heritage." -- From the introduction, page x.

"The world must be made safe for democracy" -- The school of soldiery -- Waging war on the Atlantic -- The big trip -- "Lafayette, we are here!" -- The discovery of France -- Supplying the troops -- Girding for battles ahead -- In the quiet sectors -- Preparing for war in the air -- The Germans launch their great offensives -- Blocking the drive on Paris -- Flattening the St. Mihiel salient -- Aces and air armadas -- Into the Argonne -- Binding the wounds -- "The period ... of heaviest strain" -- Behind the lines -- "We must strike harder than ever" -- On faroff fronts -- The armistice -- The weary road home.