Resource
Decision
The U.S. government’s promise to the families of the fallen
After World War II families had to decide if they wanted their loved one returned to the United States for burial or have them interred overseas. The U.S. government put together resources, to include a film, to help families understand their options. Learn about how the government chose to communicate this important issue, and hear Dr. Christopher Hamner, associate professor at George Mason University and part of ABMC's Understanding Sacrifice program, analyze this real-life example that was used after the war.
Sources
Primary Sources
- Disposition of World War II Armed Forces Dead, 1946
American Battle Monuments Commission - Decision, 1946
National Archives and Records Administration (111-M-1317)
Learn More
- Activity: Sacrifice, Loss and Honor: A Simulation of the Homefront in World War II
American Battle Monuments Commission - ABMC Burials and Memorializations Search
American Battle Monuments Commission - G.I. Roundtable: Can War Marriages Be Made to Work?, 1944
Illinois Digital Archives
Related Resources
Related Activities
Sacrifice, Loss and Honor: A Simulation of the Homefront in World War II
A Simulation of the Homefront
Christopher Hamner
Dr. Christopher Hamner is the lead historian for the Understanding Sacrifice program. He teaches at George Mason University, and is the author of Enduring Battle: American Soldiers in Three Wars, 1776-1945. From 2014 to 2016 he was a Visiting Professor at the U.S. Army War College, and in 2012 received Mason's Teaching Excellence Award.