Taking Leave, Taking Liberties

"During World War II, far more soldiers stayed in the United States than went overseas. This was a disaster for the port cities that hosted them and the civilians who lived there. Whether stationed there or on leave, soldiers and sailors ran amok, terrorizing and assaulting women in particular. These soldiers answered largely only to military authorities, who often looked the other way. Their behavior changed these cities. Some red-light districts were targeted for urban renewal and razed. Others continued to cater, however hypocritically, to the demand for vice. Hiltner draws on novels, films, and movies to show that the military occupation of American cities was well known at the time-even though we have subsequently slathered it beneath nostalgia for the "greatest generation.""--