The Great War caught a generation of American soldiers at a turning point in the nation’s history. At the moment of the Republic’s emergence as a key player on the world stage, these were the first Americans to endure mass machine warfare, and the first to come into close contact with foreign peoples and cultures in large numbers. What was it like, Richard S. Faulkner asks, to be one of these foot soldiers at the dawn of the American century? How did the doughboy experience the rigors of training and military life, interact with different cultures, and endure the shock and chaos of combat? The answer can be found in Pershing’s Crusaders , the most comprehensive, and intimate, account ever given of the day-to-day lives and attitudes of the nearly 4.2 million American soldiers mobilized for service in World War I. Pershing’s Crusaders offers a clear, close-up picture of the doughboys in all of their vibrant diversity, shared purpose, and unmistakably American character. It encompasses an array of subjects from the food they ate, the clothes they wore, their view of the Allied and German soldiers and civilians they encountered, their sexual and spiritual lives, their reasons for serving, and how they lived and fought, to what they thought about their service along every step of the way. Faulkner’s vast yet finely detailed portrait draws upon a wealth of sources—thousands of soldiers’ letters and diaries, surveys and memoirs, and a host of period documents and reports generated by various staff agencies of the American Expeditionary Forces. Animated by the voices of soldiers and civilians in the midst of unprecedented events, these primary sources afford an immediacy rarely found in historical records. Pershing’s Crusaders is, finally, a work that uniquely and vividly captures the reality of the American soldier in WWI for all time. "This book is not only a fascinating read but also a seminal volume to keep as a reference and a reminder of how things were for Pershing’s Doughboys."— Roads to the Great War "[No book] will be more important to our understanding of the U.S. Soldier during WWI than Richard Faulkner’s Pershing’s Crusaders . It is unquestionably a book which will be of huge benefit and appeal for years to come. It is a special book which is a valuable addition t the scholarship of the Great War."— Infantry "A book that serves both as an indispensable starting point for anyone who wants to learn about the American soldier in World War I and a valuable, well-organized reference work to which readers can return to learn more about any aspect of the doughboys’ service."— Army History "Magisterial in its scope, the book realizes the author’s intentions of presenting both a snapshot of Americans caught up in their first global war and a remarkably intimate overview of their experiences at home and over there."— Journal of American History "Must reading for all students of World War I, the Progressive Era, and particularly the lives of American soldiers at a defining moment of the twentieth century."— Michigan War Studies Review "The scope of the work, the depth of [Faulkner’s] research, and the entertaining prose make Pershing’s Crusaders indispensable to anyone with an interest in World War I."— Journal of Military History ". . . intensely thought-provoking and at times powerfully emotional. . . . One does not need to be a historian to enjoy and again insight into what is essentially a human story. A must read."— On Point: The Journal of Army History "One hundred years after the United States entered World War I, we have an extremely well researched and detailed account written by an Army veteran and World War I scholar about doughboys."— Military Review "This book has no rival in the WWI genre. [It] gives readers a unique insight into the daily lives of the soldiers from beginning to end. Essential."— Choice "Faulkner has produced an excellent account of the life and service of the soldiers and marines of the Great War. This is an impressive work, covering all aspects of the American military experience, both at home and at the Front. . . an indispensable work for anyone interested in the conflict or the history of American mobilization."— New York Military Affairs Symposium Review "A magnificent overview of the great national experiment represented by the American Expeditionary Forces. Combining the best methods of military history with interesting statistics and sociological techniques, Faulkner covers virtually every conceivable aspect of the doughboys’ experience, from their motivation for military service to their experiences in battle to their unbridled exhilaration on seeing the Statue of Liberty on their return to New York Harbor."— Military History Quarterly "Overall, the portrait is objective, providing balanced accounts of the war effort. Faulkner gives readers a better understanding of the doughboys and a greater appreciation of the endeavors undertaken to fight and achieve victory."