Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Professor David Nasaw
Book Discussed: The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II (Penguin, 2025)
Date: December 16, 2025

This episode features Professor David Nasaw discussing his new book, which examines the profound and enduring challenges faced by the millions of American servicemen and their families during and after World War II. Nasaw challenges the myth of the “Greatest Generation’s” seamless homecoming, revealing instead a story of widespread psychological trauma, domestic strain, and unequal access to the benefits of postwar prosperity.

Key Discussion Points

1. Personal and Scholarly Motivations (03:01–08:24)

• Nasaw’s Background: Taught in the CUNY system, culminating as the Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Professor of History.
• Genesis of the Book: Stemmed from his earlier work on displaced persons post-WWII and a desire to understand his father’s silent struggle after his WWII service.
• Personal Narrative: Nasaw’s father returned from wartime service with severe health issues and never spoke about his experiences—an experience he later learned was common among veterans.

“What I discovered was that wars do not end with ceasefires, with armistices... For civilians and soldiers alike, the war goes on and on and on.”
— Professor David Nasaw (06:00)

2. Returning Before the War’s End & “Wounded Generation” Defined (08:24–14:04)

• Early Returnees: Over one million US servicemen discharged before war’s end, half with disabilities, many for psychological (“psychoneurotic”) reasons.
• Stigma: Physical wounds were understood; mental wounds brought shame and survivor’s guilt. Veterans struggled to explain their presence at home.
• Media Coverage: Fortune magazine’s December 1943 cover story, “The Psychiatric Toll of Warfare,” alarmed the public about rising psychiatric casualties.

“They had to somehow explain to their loved ones and to the world around them why they were home. And they couldn’t quite do it. They felt enormous guilt, survivors guilt...”
— Professor David Nasaw (13:20)

3. Women, the Home Front, and Societal Messaging (14:44–21:17)

• Women's Roles: 7–9 million women worked in war industries; sustained households during men’s absence.
• Total War: Media, movies, and government messaging constantly reminded civilians they were integral to the war effort.
• Constant Anxiety: Families were haunted by newsreels and radio reports—never out of touch with war’s violence.
• Anticipating Change: Widespread concern about how returning men, trained for violence, would readapt to civilian life.

“What will these men and boys come back as? How will they be changed? … Will they come back as killers?”
— Professor David Nasaw (20:26)

4. The Process and Strains of Demobilization (23:16–29:23)

• Delayed Homecomings: Most soldiers weren’t immediately discharged. Many were sent to occupy Europe or the Pacific. Demobilization took over a year.
• Logistics & Discontent: The US used every ship available; “cigarette camps” in France (e.g., Camp Lucky Strike) were staging grounds for repatriation. Troops waiting became restless, discipline broke down, and mothers’ clubs lobbied for their return.
• Cultural Dislocation: Extended absences and waiting periods contributed to later adjustment difficulties.

“Discipline broke down entirely...and it became abundantly clear that any plans for an occupational army had to be quickly cut back.”
— Professor David Nasaw (26:30)

5. The Realities of Coming Home (29:56–35:23)

• Alienation: Veterans, symbolized by Norman Rockwell’s famous homecoming painting, felt unable to cross back into civilian life.
• Family Strains: Children often didn’t recognize fathers, and gender/work expectations clashed.
• Divorce Spike: 1946 saw record divorce rates, decades ahead of broader social shifts.
• Emotional Struggles: Most returning veterans suffered a range of symptoms now recognized as PTSD—anger, restlessness, substance abuse.
• Survey Data (Nov. 1945):
  • 61% more bitter and cynical
  • 76% more restless and nervous
  • 54% angrier
  • 49% drank more
  • 47% acquired bad habits

“They are very different now. Don’t let anybody tell you they aren’t.”
— Bill Mauldin, cartoonist (31:50, paraphrased by Nasaw)

6. The Myth of the Veteran Crime Wave (35:55–40:16)

• Fears Stoked: Media and officials predicted a wave of violence by “damaged” veterans, depicted in noir films and news reports.
• Reality: No crime wave materialized. Suffering was internal—anxiety, depression, and family discord, not widespread violence.
• The Greatest Generation Reframed: Nasaw credits their resilience, noting many “cured themselves” through work, family, and silence; yet this came at a personal cost.

“In reality, there was no crime wave among the veterans… The men brought the war home with them in their minds, in their souls, some on their bodies, and it would take time to recover.”
— Professor David Nasaw (37:40)

7. The GI Bill: Promise and Exclusion (40:16–47:34)

• Revisionist Take: GI Bill’s primary intent was to prevent economic and social unrest, not simply reward service.
• Scope of Benefits: Generous provisions for education, housing, and unemployment benefits enabled class mobility for white veterans.
• Systemic Racism: Black veterans, especially in the South, excluded due to segregated colleges and discriminatory loan practices. The resulting racial wealth and opportunity gap persisted for decades.

“The GI Bill created exacerbated wealth and income inequities between black and white that persisted for generations.”
— Professor David Nasaw (46:50)

8. The Recognition and Legacy of PTSD (47:34–53:31)

• Evolving Understanding: Earlier terms included “shell shock,” “battle fatigue.” Only in the 1980s was PTSD formally recognized.
• Delayed Support: Few veterans received official help until late in life; many suffered silently for decades, especially after retirement and the loss of loved ones.
• Long-Term Impact: The “wounded generation” label reflects multi-layered, intergenerational trauma and adaptation.

“Forty to fifty years after they had come home from war...the doctors would look at them and would say, my God, man, how did you live for 40 to 50 years with this?”
— Professor David Nasaw (52:00)

9. Research Reflections & Looking Forward (53:31–54:53)

• Research Methods: Nasaw immersed himself in primary sources—newsreels, oral histories, letters—deliberately narrowing his focus to avoid repeating triumphalist “Greatest Generation” narratives.
• Future Plans: Nasaw, exhausted by the scope and gravity of the project, plans to take a break before considering what comes next.
• Book Info: The Wounded Generation available from Penguin (2025).

“I am exhausted from this book...I had to sort of put on blinders to all the secondary literature...and go back to the 1945–1950 and look through the newspapers and the magazines and listen to the radios and look at the films and the newsreels and then find the abundant oral histories and letters and medical records.”
— Professor David Nasaw (53:58)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the legacy of trauma:
  • “Wars do not end when the fighting men, boys and women return home. For civilians and soldiers alike, the war goes on and on and on.” (06:00)
• On women’s home front experience:
  • “Millions felt that way. The war was never absent from the United States. Never, never, never.” (15:49)
• On public anxiety and the returning veteran:
  • “What will it mean that they've been taught to kill? … Will they come back as killers?” (20:26)
• On adjustment difficulties:
  • “He can’t get out of, make that step from war to peace, from soldier to civilian. It was not easy.” (30:20)
• On systemic racism and the GI Bill:
  • “The GI Bill created exacerbated wealth and income inequities between black and white that persisted for generations.” (46:50)
• On the deep toll of PTSD:
  • “My God, man, how did you live for 40 to 50 years with this?” (52:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:01: Nasaw’s background & motivation for the book
• 08:59: Discussion on early-disabled/discharged soldiers
• 14:44: The home front: women, media, and total war
• 23:40: Demobilization, logistics, and delays
• 29:56: Veterans' homecoming: alienation, family, divorce
• 35:55: The “veteran crime wave” myth vs. reality
• 40:16: GI Bill: benefits and exclusions
• 47:34: PTSD—diagnosis, recognition, and legacy
• 53:31: Research challenges & Nasaw’s future

Tone and Style

Throughout, Nasaw’s tone is forthright, compassionate, and scholarly—equally at home discussing archives and personal stories. The host, Dr. Melcher, guides the conversation thoughtfully, ensuring clarity and context for listeners unfamiliar with the period.

Conclusion

The Wounded Generation uncovers the hidden wounds of an entire generation, illuminating the gap between myth and reality in America’s return from World War II. Nasaw places family, class, race, and mental health at the center of the conversation, urging a deeper consideration of war’s long shadow.