Greenback: A GI Remembers America and the War in Europe, 1941-45

"Greenback" is the remarkable story of ordinary men cast into extraordinary circumstances fighting a war thousands of miles from home. The author, Lewis Scheider, was one of those men. From induction on March 18th, 1944, the narrative follows Lewis through training at army bases across the United States, including Fort Bragg, Fort Jackson, Fort Sill, Camp Forrest, Fort Leonard Wood, and Camp Laguna in the California desert near the Mexican border. At Fort Jackson, Lewis was assigned to the ammunition section of C-Battery, 45th Field Artillery Battalion (code-named Greenback), 8th Infantry Division.

In this highly personal story, Lewis describes daily life of a GI preparing for and making his way through the challenges of war, illustrated by vignettes of the America he saw while hitchhiking from training camps across the country and the people and places he encountered in Northern Ireland and on patrols and short respites from the war in France, Luxembourg, and Germany.

In addition to the narrative and photographs, "Greenback" includes excerpts of newsletters, Nazi propaganda, a map, and other memorabilia that add to the story. For members of the Greatest Generation who are still alive, their children and grandchildren, and anyone who wonders what a GI's life was like on the ground in Northern France and western Germany during World War 2, "Greenback" is a compelling and poignant contribution to the history of the war.