Description: Following the doughboy fromthe home front to the western front - and mapping the many memorials built in his honor. It has now been a century since World War I began, but Americas role in this colossal struggle has been largely forgotten on both sides of the Atlantic. Historian and travel writer Mark D. Van Ells aims to change that. America and World War I follows in the footsteps of the Doughboyas the U.S. soldier of the Great War was knownfrom the training camps of the United States to the frontlines of Europe. Tracing the totality of Americas experience from the factors that led the nation to enter the war in April 1917 to the armistice in November 1918, his riveting narrative describes a military buildup on a scale the world had never seen, as well as the wars major battles and campaigns?and, throughout, it leads the traveler to the memorials erected in the Doughboys wake, as well as to the many places that remain unmarked and uncommemorated.
Brief description: Mark D. Van Ells is Professor of History at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York. He is the author of Wisconsin (On the Road History), also published by Interlink. His website is markdvanells.com.
Review Quotes: "As we reach the centennial of what Europe calls the Great War, World War I, we all need to gain insight into that war. It was the war that set up all the other wars of the twentieth century. Mark D. Van Ells's book is a must-read experience. It is invaluable in learning the unmistakable lessons of history.--U.S. Senator Max Cleland (Ret.)