Leo Bogart was one of 16 million Americans who served with the armed forces during World War II. In numerous letters home, he provided a glimpse into the mind of a young American intellectual whose wartime journey carried him from New York to Germany and from adolescence to experience.

Twenty years old when he entered the army in 1941, Leo Bogart was one of sixteen million Americans who served with the armed forces during World War II. In numerous letters home, he provided a glimpse into the mind of a young American intellectual whose wartime journey carried him from New York to Germany and from adolescence to personal experience of the world's complexities. After a stint in the Army Signal Corps' enlisted reserve, he was inducted into active duty and sent to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), after which he was assigned to Signal Intelligence. The war led him to the battle for Europe and finally to troubling confrontations with the defeated enemy. In 1945 Bogart was honorably discharged and, like millions of veterans, awarded a small gilt lapel pin bearing the stylized head of an eagle, nicknamed 'the ruptured duck." By showing how life moved from hour to hour and day by day, Bogart illuminates aspects of the war that cannot be found in military histories focused on the marshaling of forces, the capture of cities, and the casualty counts.