American Soldiers: Ground Combat in the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam (review)

The recent war in Iraq and the uncertain occupation that now ensues could once again raise questions as to what motivates and sustains American soldiers in combat. As the novelist James Jones put it: "What is it that makes a man go out into dangerous places and get himself shot at with increasing consistency until finally he dies, is an interesting subject for speculation. And an interesting study." These are the exact questions that Peter S. Kindsvatter analyzes and answers in American Soldiers, a sweeping study of the experiences of soldiers and marines in battle.

While a number of classic studies have focused on the motivation of combatants in specific wars, American Soldiers paints its story on a much broader canvas by examining the experience of soldiers and marines in America's major wars of the twentieth century. One of the study's unique aspects is that it examines what might be called the entire "life-cycle" of the soldier experience from initial induction into the army or marine corps, through the social shock of basic training, transit to the combat zone, survival in battle, and finally egress from the combat zone.

American Soldiers vividly examines a topic often overlooked by other studies on motivation in combat: the harsh physical and psychological environment that continuously surrounded soldiers. Even before they encountered the hellfire and brimstone of battle, soldiers and marines endured mind-numbing exhaustion, extremes of weather, formidable terrain, thirst, and bland rations. In combat, they not only had to survive, but often were required to develop new tactics and techniques for overcoming a resourceful and determined enemy.

One of the key conclusions is that even though American society held distinct attitudes and opinions regarding each war, the factors that motivated and sustained men in battle were amazingly consistent in all cases. Invariably, the cohesion and strength of the primary group, usually the squad or platoon, encouraged soldiers and marines. However, Kindsvatter persuasively argues that even the dynamics of the primary group must be examined in the context of its larger military organization (regiment or division) and the values of the society that sent it to war. One of the book's most compelling sections examines the corrosive effects of the antiwar movement on unit morale and performance during the last years of the Vietnam War.

As a scholarly work, American Soldiers is a tour de force of historical research and organization. The author draws heavily upon first hand accounts, published memoirs, and the best war literature available to support the narrative and his findings. The book contains 1,710 end notes, mute testimony to the detail and thoroughness of its research. Anyone interested in the behavior of soldiers in battle should not ignore this benchmark study. Indeed, the army and the marine corps should include this book in their many courses of leadership instruction. Hopefully, a gifted scholar will one day do for the American soldier of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries what Peter Kindsvatter has done for the marines, doughboys, GIs, and grunts of the twentieth century.