Boyhood's End

Boyhood's End is the remarkable true story of a young man finding his way through a changing culture and a world at war. From high school through his enlistment in the Army, from his experiences as a front-line combat infantryman in Patton's Third Army during the Rhineland Campaign to his return home at end of World War II, this "memories and a memoir" provides readers with an intimate portrait of a personal journey through an epic time. Boyhood's End combines history, cultural memories, and social commentary punctuated with more than a hundred of Coleman's images and illustrations from that time. It describes prevalent social attitudes and customs of the era, popular entertainers and cultural offerings, notable political and military figures, and significant historical events that impacted the lives of his generation and remain influential to this day. While there has been a resurgence of interest in the Greatest Generation in recent years, the number of actual combat veterans who have shared their stories is relatively small. With Boyhood's End, William S.E. Coleman introduces a new voice to the canon of World War II accounts and adds a fresh perspective on an era that is quickly disappearing from our view. Personal memories are mixed with excerpts from the Infantry history that Coleman co-authored and co-illustrated at the end of the war. For his service, he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and two Bronze Stars. "Authors William S.E. Coleman and Linda Robbins Coleman have created a rich narrative that reads like a novel and is as informative as a documentary. A must-read for anyone interested in the World War II era."