Profs & Pints Denver: The Myths of World War II

Profs and Pints Denver presents: “The Myths of World War II,” on the reality underlying idealized depictions of how Americans experienced that conflict, with Joshua Madrid, associate director of Regis University’s Center for the Study of War Experience.

[Doors open at 5 pm and the talk begins at 6:30. Advance tickets $13.50 plus processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/denver-world-war-ii ]

World War II remains one of the most popular subjects in 20th century history, garnering the interest of historians, film producers, war-game enthusiasts, and the broader general public. But our collective memories of that conflict and how Americans experienced it have been distorted by Hollywood movies—as well as books such as The Good War and The Greatest Generation—that emphasize the moral imperative to wage that war and the heroism of those who fought it. That’s especially true when it comes to the experiences of women and members of various minority groups.

Spend the evening of Veterans’ Day gaining a much deeper understanding of that chapter of history with Joshua Madrid of the Center for the Study of War Experience, which collects oral histories to deepen our understanding of wars' political, social, economic, and cultural costs.

He’ll discuss how various myths about the war developed in American collective memory, helped Americans process their experiences in the war, and shape popular representations of it today. He’ll then examine how this narrative treats the direct experiences of women, Japanese Americans, Mexican Americans, and African Americans, and he’ll illuminate gaps between the reality and the stories we’re told.

He’ll describe how films such as The Tuskegee Airmen, about the first African-American military aviators, and Windtalkers, about soldiers from the Navajo nation who used its language to transmit coded messages, emphasized soldiers’ heroism and patriotism but failed to take fully into account how the war affected them and their communities. Neglected in such depictions are how soldiers dealt with the daily monotonous work or sought comfort while on the front, as well as the multiplicity of reasons why people had chosen to join up.

We’ll look at how such depictions distract from acknowledgements that minorities fought a double battle, against discrimination at home as well as fascism abroad. You’ll emerge from the talk with a richer understanding of the dynamics of how national identity was being transformed during a crucial period. ( Doors: $17, or $15 with student ID.)

Image: A group of Tuskegee Airmen (Air Force photo).