The millions of combatants in WWII bore the brunt of the devastation, but civilian populations also bravely shouldered their duties as their homelands were embroiled in "total war."

From Navy Seabees who built airfields on remote coral outcroppings in the Pacific to Army Engineers who cleared minefields in Europe, combat engineers paved the way to victory in WWII.

In the aftermath of WWII, U.S. servicemen faced daunting new responsibilities and perhaps a greater challenge than waging war - that of keeping the peace, an undertaking known simply as occupation.

Of all the assignments a serviceman might find himself undertaking in WWII, flying seemed to offer the greatest promise of glory. It would also become the most dangerous job of the war.

For the sailors who fought in World War II, combat at sea differed radically from any previous conflict. The jobs they performed were more complex, and the threats they faced were much more lethal.

A WWII infantryman was engaged in combat for an hour each day on average, but he fought the environment around the clock, from the Arctic Circle to desert sands and fetid jungles.