Dr Joseph Ryan, a historian at the United States Army talks about his work on sociologist Samuel Stouffer the GI survey during the Second World War.
Samuel Stouffer was a little-known sociologist from Sac City, Iowa. In his role of the Army Information and Education Division’s Research Branch, he spearheaded an effort to understand the American citizen-soldier, his reasons for fighting, and his overall Army experience during the Second World War.
Using surveys and interviews, he transformed general assumptions about leadership and soldiering into a sociological understanding of a draftee Army. Stouffer published his findings after the Second World War in the American Solider.
Dr Ryan’s talks both about the life of Samuel Stouffer and the work of the Research Branch and brings contemporary perspective on the importance of the American Soldier.
His book is published by University of Tennessee Press and available here:
Note: the views expressed in this podcast are personal and do not represent the perspectives of the US military or any federal US government agency or department.