According to the book description of Hal Moore: A Soldier Once...and
Always, "Hal Moore, one of the most admired American combat leaders of
the last 50 years, has until now been best known to the public for being
portrayed by Mel Gibson in the movie We Were Soldiers. In this first-ever,
fully illustrated biography, we finally learn the full story of one of Americas
true military heroes.
A 1945 graduate of West Point, Moores first combats occurred during the Korean
War, where he fought in the battles of Old Baldy, T-Bone, and Pork Chop Hill. At
the beginning of the Vietnam War, Moore commanded the 1st Battalion of the 7th
Cavalry in the first full-fledged battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese
regulars. Drastically outnumbered and nearly overrun, Moore led from the front,
and though losing 79 soldiers, accounted for 1,200 of the enemy before the
Communists withdrew. This Battle of Ia Drang pioneered the use of air mobile
infantrydelivering troops into battle via helicopterwhich became the staple
of U.S. operations for the remainder of the war. He later wrote of his
experiences in the best-selling book, We Were Soldiers Onceand Young.
Following his tour in Vietnam, he assumed command of the 7th Infantry Division,
forward-stationed in South Korea, and in 1971, he took command of the Army
Training Center at Fort Ord, California. In this capacity, he oversaw the US
Armys transition from a conscript-based to an all-volunteer force. He retired
as a Lieutenant General in 1977.
At this writing, Hal Moore is 90 years old and living quietly in Auburn,
Alabama. He graciously allowed the author interviews and granted full access to
his files and collection of letters, documents, and never-before-published
photographs."
According to the book description of American Guerrilla: The Forgotten
Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann, "A main selection of the Military Book
Club and a selection of the History Book Club.With his parting words "I shall
return," General Douglas MacArthur sealed the fate of the last American forces
on Bataan. Yet one young Army Captain named Russell Volckmann refused to
surrender. He disappeared into the jungles of north Luzon where he raised a
Filipino army of over 22,000 men. For the next three years he led a guerrilla
war against the Japanese, killing over 50,000 enemy soldiers. At the same time
he established radio contact with MacArthur's HQ in Australia and directed
Allied forces to key enemy positions. When General Yamashita finally
surrendered, he made his initial overtures not to MacArthur, but to
Volckmann.This book establishes how Volckmann's leadership was critical to the
outcome of the war in the Philippines. His ability to synthesize the realities
and potential of guerrilla warfare led to a campaign that rendered Yamashita's
forces incapable of repelling the Allied invasion. Had it not been for Volckmann,
the Americans would have gone in "blind" during their counter-invasion, reducing
their efforts to a trial-and-error campaign that would undoubtedly have cost
more lives, materiel, and potentially stalled the pace of the entire Pacific
War. Second, this book establishes Volckmann as the progenitor of modern
counterinsurgency doctrine and the true "Father" of Army Special Forces- a title
that history has erroneously awarded to Colonel Aaron Bank of the ETO. In 1950,
Volckmann wrote two Army field manuals: Operations Against Guerrilla Forces and
Organization and Conduct of Guerrilla Warfare, though today few realize he was
their author. Together, they became the Army's first handbooks outlining the
precepts for both special warfare and counter-guerrilla operations. Taking his
argument directly to the Army Chief of Staff, Volckmann outlined the concept for
Army Special Forces. At a time when U.S. military doctrine was conventional in
outlook, he marketed the ideas of guerrilla warfare as a critical force
multiplier for any future conflict, ultimately securing the establishment of the
Army's first special operations unit-the 10th Special Forces Group. Volckmann
himself remains a shadowy figure in modern military history, his name absent
from every major biography on MacArthur, and in much of the Special Forces
literature. Yet as modest, even secretive, as Volckmann was during his career,
it is difficult to imagine a man whose heroic initiative had more impact on
World War II. This long overdue book not only chronicles the dramatic military
exploits of Russell Volckmann, but analyzes how his leadership paved the way for
modern special warfare doctrine."
According to the book description of US Army and Marine Corps MRAPs: Mine
Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, "Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan,
the newest land warfare system in the United States Army and Marine Corps, the
Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle has undeniably proved its value.
Designed to meet the challenges of operating in a counterinsurgency environment,
the MRAP has taken survivability to a new level. MRAPs are currently
manufactured by three companies: BAE Systems, Navistar International Military
Group, and Force Protection Inc. Each company manufactures an MRAP according to
one of three classifications set by the US Department of Defense: Category I,
Category II, or Category III. The Category I MRAPs are designed for urban
combat. Category II covers the MRAPs designed for convoy security, medical
evacuation, and explosive ordnance disposal. The Category III MRAP performs the
same function as Category II but is designed to carry more personnel. Since
their introduction in 2007, MRAPs have performed remarkably in the asymmetric
warfare environment. Their unique design and survivability characteristics have
saved the lives hundreds of soldiers who otherwise would have been lost to
landmines or IED attacks. As with any combat system, however, the MRAP is not
without its drawbacks."
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