USA World War 2 index

Of Heroism, Cowardice and Honesty
My prayers had been answered - to be hurt badly enough to escape combat but not serious enough to devastate my life 27 November 2003

Home by Christmas!
Perhaps it will never be known who coined the slogan 'Home by Christmas!' It was a perfect piece of agitation Summer 2003

1944 -- pilot and crew refuse to bomb
George Wilson was part of an American bomber crew in 1944. One night the pilot called the crew together and told them he planned to refuse to fly missions against non-military targets. He would do so, he said, even if the military threatened to court-martial him. After a discussion that lasted almost until dawn, the crew decided to join the pilot in his refusal. Undated

Fighting not to fight
In the first world war, there were 3,800 COs; in the second world war, 42,000; in the Korean war, 4,300; in the Vietnam war, about 170,000 of the 2.15 million drafted; and in the 1991 Gulf war, 111. 1 April 2003