Journal of MusicTherapy.XXXlll(3),1996, 189-207 ©1996by theNationalAssociation”f r MusicTherapy,INC. Music and the Wounded of World War II

the triumphs and the horrors of World War II. For American music therapists, this is a time of remembrance es well. Due to the tireless efforts of many dedicated physicians and mu sicians during World War II and its aftermath, the healing powers of music were witnessed on an unparalleled scale. For the first time in history, a military. the American Service Forces, officially recognized music es an agent capable of helping ifs mentally and physically wounded. This was, in deed, a major turning point in the longstanding partnership between music and medicine, and, in essence, the begin ning of the modern music therapy profession. There are about 50 published sources dating from 1944 through the early 1950s that provide information on this subject; some were written by military officers and others by well-informed citizens. This study is derived from these sources. This ac count has several different facets. They include the creation of the music portion of the military’s Reconditioning Program, the contributions made by civilians and individual service men, and the results of these efforts, with special emphasis on the study at Walter Reed General Hospital. Enlivening this picture and expressed in their own words are the thoughts of World War II’s military spokesmen, pioneers in music therapy, civilian volunteers, and wounded veterans