George Brown was an American soldier who was commonly referred to as the “doughboy” in World War I. He enlisted almost immediately and served with the 117th Engineering Regiment. From the beginning of his time, to the end, George Brown wrote a great deal of letters to the love of his life, Martha. These letters represent a fascinating first person view of the day-to-day life of an American Soldier during World War I. According to the University of Nebraska Press, David L. Snead skillfully interweaves Brown’s personal wartime account within the larger context of the war, his personal relationship with Martha Johnson, and his tribulations in joining and fighting in the United States Army. David L. Snead will attempt to examine these claims …show more content…
Men were living outside for days or weeks on end, with limited shelter from cold, wind, rain, and snow in the winter or from the heat and sun in summer (Vanda Wilcox). David L. Snead uses a phrase from George Brown and his own commentary to illustrate this when he said, “Then we were allowed very little deck liberty and the heat from the Gulf Stream made the hole where we sleep terrible. Of course, the ship is crowded anyway.” One soldier exclaimed, “Soldiers everywhere, no place to sit, no place to stand. A nice brisk walk? Impossible…. Oh for the roominess of a sardine can.” (book). However, little did they understand how ill prepared they were for the fighting on the western front. Artillery destroyed the familiar landscape, reducing trees and buildings to desolate rubble and churning up endless mud in some areas (Vanda Wilcox). With the lack of facilities and sanitary conditions, the American soldiers endured a breeding ground of numerous disease-carrying parasites such as fleas and lice, a particular nuisance for any soldier. Diseases and other illnesses, whether carried by lice or something else, plagued the AEF (book). It is evident through George Browne’s letters that the medical department was at a loss to know how to care for such a large amount of sickness within the American …show more content…
During the immobilization phase, soldiers were given day passes to go into town. In George Browne’s case, he visited New York City during his training phase. George Browne says. “There are entertainments and moving pictures for us nearly every night but I haven’t attended any. We aren’t doing anything, though so have all our time to wander and sleep.” From Browne’s first person experience, the American soldiers had no idea of how ill prepared the United States were in entering the war and how terrible the living conditions will be. These small details are important to fully understand the life of an American soldier in World War I. It is evident that David L Snead uses George Browne’s letters as factual information that greatly enhances the experience of what it is like to be an American soldier in World War I. Not only is there a first person perspective of what happened during the war, David L. Snead incorporates George Browne’s letters to Martha Johnson into a wider narrative about life, combat, hope, and service among the American troops and places context on the real horrors that the American soldier endured during World War