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Army of Hope, Army of Alienation Culture and Contradiction in the American Army Communities of Cold War Germany
(Click to Enlarge)
John P. Hawkins
Foreword by Faris R. Kirkland
Book Code: C6738
ISBN: 0-275-96738-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-96738-3
368 pages, photographs
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 5/30/2001
List Price: $125.00 (UK Sterling Price: £70.00)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • This is a novel contribution to the fields of anthropology and sociology, but it also contains important lessons for the American military....Academic collections.
    —Choice     January 2001
  • Endorsement From Dr. George Pierozynski
    former Chief of Psychiatry and Neurology
    5th General Hospital:     From the perspective of an officer and psychiatrist, this is one of the most insightful and objective books that addresses numerous difficult and often controversial subjects comprehensively and objectively. Issues vital to flawless functioning of any major organization are accurately described. With leadership comes not only a sense of purpose but also organization and discipline; lack of these leads up to frustration, cynicism, and confusion--a phenomenon that we commonly observe in the Army these days. Very few insiders would dare to describe [the] existing situation within `the system,' as your book does.
Description: This ethnography describes the intense contradictions that exist between the cultural values of American life and the cultural values needed to survive in combat, as represented through the experiences of forward-deployed U.S. Army units in Germany during the height of the Cold War. Living in constant military readiness, yet participating in peacetime community and family processes, Army personnel had to tolerate the contradictions and live by both sets of principles. In soldier perception, family life and community activities ought to have been guided by American rather than military values. Yet the military ran the community, and military activities penetrated and disrupted family life. In Germany the penetration and disruption was much exacerbated by isolation, for these Americans did not generally have the language or cultural skills to escape from the military community. Rather, they were marooned in an intensely judgmental "fish bowl" community where there was no private life. The resulting scrutiny and the measures people took to avoid it and sustain autonomy corrupted the community, its families, and the units themselves. The scrutiny, with its attendant risks, and the intense contradiction in values led to feelings of profound alienation.
Table of Contents:
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Army of Hope
  • "Inside the Fence": Community, Army and Family in Context
  • "Ordered to Germany": Entry Shock and its Lingering Impact
  • "Danger Forward, Sir!": Readiness and the Corruption of Leadership in Military Units
  • "Living with the Army": Family and Work in Conflict
  • "The Army Takes Care of Its Own": Breach of the Support for Sacrifice Contract
  • "The System is Totally Screwed to Hell": Space-Available Health Care for the Military Family
  • "If You Can't Control Your Family": Law and Informal Military Control of the Family
  • "Little America": Islands of Isolation in Germany
  • "Living in a Fishbowl": Surveillance and Social Control in the Military Community
  • "You Gotta Get Away": From Taking a Break to Making an Escape
  • Army of Alienation
  • Index
LC Card Number: 00-061111
LCC Class: UA26
Dewey Class: 306
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