|
Books > Humanities > History > American history > From 1900
In his monograph, originally written in 2000 for the School of
Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) entitled, "Transforming the Force:
The 11th Air Assault Division (Test) from 1963-1965," then-Major
Thomas Graves-currently serving as a Brigadier General-traced the
history behind the development of air assault doctrine, tactics,
and procedures that would later be used with great effect during
the Vietnam War. The Howze Board and the development of the 11th
Air Assault Division (Test) served as a great paradigm for how the
U.S. Army could examine new concepts involving emerging
technologies and put them in practice throughout the Army. It was
the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) that would later become the
1st Cavalry Division and utilize the new tactics immediately in
combat, most notably in their first major battle in the Ia Drang
Valley in 1965.
Between 1966 and 1973, while Australian troops were fighting in
Vietnam, some 300 conscripted teachers were quietly posted to Papua
New Guinea. Colloquially known as 'Chalkies', their task was to
raise the educational level of troops of the Pacific Islands
Regiment in what turned out to be critical years leading up to the
country's independence. Drawing on the recollections of more than
70 of those National Servicemen, Dr Darryl Dymock, a former
Chalkie, tells the story of how these young teachers responded to
the challenges of a life most of them never wanted or imagined for
themselves, in an exotic land on Australia's doorstep. It's a
unique tale of the good, the bad and the unexpected, told with
flair and insight against the background of political developments
of the day. 'An educational scheme which for magnitude, scope,
intensity and enlightenment is without parallel in military
history.' - Brigadier Ernest Gould
|
|