The U.S. Armed Forces started integrating its services in 1948, and with that push, more African Americans started rising through the ranks to become officers, although the number of black officers has always been much lower than African Americans' total percentage in the military. Astonishingly, the experiences of these unknown reformers have largely gone unexamined and unreported, until now. The Black Officer Corps traces segments of the African American officers' experience from 1946-1973. From generals who served in the Pentagon and Vietnam, to enlisted servicemen and officers' wives, Isaac Hampton has conducted over seventy-five oral history interviews with African American officers. Through their voices, this book illuminates what they dealt with on a day to day basis, including cultural differences, racist attitudes, unfair promotion standards, the civil rights movement, Black Power, and the experience of being in ROTC at Historically Black Colleges. Hampton provides a nuanced study of the people whose service reshaped race relations in the U.S. Armed Forces, ending with how the military attempted to control racism with the creation of the Defense Race Relations Institute of 1971. The Black Officer Corps gives us a much fuller picture of the experience of black officers, and a place to start asking further questions.

How have the U.S. Army Rangers acted as special operations forces in military operations since 1942? Hogan's study examines the nature and purpose of the Rangers over the past fifty years and shows how they have served as scouts, raiders, assault troops, and elite infantry. They have spearheaded amphibious landings, raided enemy prison camps, patrolled behind enemy lines in Korea, served alongside Green Berets in Vietnam, and carried out special missions in Grenada. Professional officers, military historians, students, and general readers will find this a fascinating history. This analytical account opens with a short description of the origins of the Ranger legend in America and then moves to a discussion of their use in World War II, as commandos in 1942, then as spearheaders in 1943 and 1944, as line infantry in Europe and as special operations forces in the Pacific. This provocative assessment also traces the development of Ranger raider units in Korea, the special training and use of Green Berets as Rangers in Vietnam, and the shifting of Ranger roles into more complex and varied types of operations in Vietnam and Grenada and in a world of increasing terrorism and changing combat situations. Illustrations, maps, and a lengthy bibliography add to the usefulness of the study.

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Tom Hanks introduces the "remarkable" (Publishers Weekly) true story of two inseparable friends and soldiers portrayed in the HBO (R) miniseries Band of Brothers. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron were among the first paratroopers of the U.S. Army-members of an elite unit of the 101st Airborne Division called Easy Company. The crack unit was called upon for every high-risk operation of the war, including D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge, and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden. In his own words, Guarnere gives a gripping account of D-Day from the paratrooper's perspective. Both men vividly re-create dropping into Holland to capture the roads and bridges between Eindhoven and Arnhem, known as Hell's Highway. Through much of 1944 both friends fought side by side-until Guarnere lost his right leg in the Battle of the Bulge and was sent home. Heffron went on to liberate slave labor and concentration camps and capture Hitler's Eagle's Nest hideout. United by their experience, the two reconnected at the war's end and were inseparable up until their deaths. Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends is a tribute to the lasting bond forged between comrades in arms under fire and to all the brave men who fought fearlessly for freedom. Includes photographs

This book examines the politics of military families in relation to the tensions between the state, military organization, and private life. It elaborates on the tensions between the advent of challenging worldwide deployment for the military and the prominence of the home front. The volume aims to understand the dynamics of conflict and change within triad figurations at the macro (society), meso (organizational), and micro (family) level and is guided by the following overarching research questions: What are the key issues in the three-party dynamics? What tensions exist in these dynamics? How do actors seek to arrive at a balance? What initiatives for change are made? With contributions from international scholars, who examine the workings of politics in military families at all three levels, the book argues that members within military families deal with shifting power balances and these are impacted by demands from organizations and the state. This book will be of much interest to students of military studies, sociology, organizational studies and politics.

Featuring chapters from social scientists directly engaged with the process, this volume offers a concise introduction to the U.S. military's effort to account for culture and increase its cultural capacity over the last decade. Contributors to this work consider some of the key challenges, lessons learned, and the limits of such efforts.

Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military compares the integration of women, gender perspectives, and the women, peace, and security agenda into the armed forces of eight countries plus NATO and United Nations peacekeeping operations. This book brings a much-needed crossnational analysis of how militaries have or have not improved gender balance, what has worked and what has not, and who have been the agents for change. The country cases examined are Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and South Africa. Despite increased opportunities for women in the militaries of many countries and wider recognition of the value of including gender perspectives to enhance operational effectiveness, progress has encountered roadblocks even nearly twenty years after United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 kicked off the women, peace, and security agenda. Robert Egnell, Mayesha Alam, and the contributors to this volume conclude that there is no single model for change that can be applied to every country, but the comparative findings reveal many policy-relevant lessons while advancing scholarship about women and gendered perspectives in the military.

The Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz) was one of the highest decorations given for extreme acts of valour to all ranks of the German armed forces during the Second World War. Few awards captured the respect and admiration of the German public as the Knight's Cross - it was the greatest honour one could achieve. In the perilous and close-knit world of the U-boat crews the award of the decoration to their captain was an event of particular pride and sometimes it was even added to the boat's insignia. In all, there were 123 recipients, including their commander-in-chief Karl D nitz, and Jeremy Dixon's highly illustrated book is the ideal guide to all these men and their wartime service. A graphic text accompanied by almost 200 archive photographs describes the exploits of each of them, including those who received the higher grades of the award. Full details are given of their tours of duty, the operations they took part in, how they won their award, how many ships they sank and their subsequent careers.

Originally published in 1975, The Volunteer Force is a study of the part-time military force which came into being to meet the mid-nineteenth century fear of French invasion. It survived and grew for fifty years until in 1908 it was renamed and remodelled as the Territorial Force. Composed initially of middle-class and often middle-aged gentlemen who elected their own officers and paid for their own equipment, the Volunteer Force soon became youthful and working-class, with appointed middle-class officers, a Government subsidy, and a minor military role as an adjunct to the Regular Army. This book examines the origins of the Force, the transformation in its social composition, the difficulties in finding officers who were 'gentlemen', the ambiguous status, of the Force both in the local community and in the Regular Army, and the political influence which the Force exerted in the early twentieth century. Above all it is concerned with the reasons for and the implications of enrolment; publicists argued that the Force was the embodiment of patriotism, and an indication of working-class loyalty to established institutions.

This volume synthesises the latest scholarship on First World War veterans in post-war Britain and Ireland, investigating the topic through its political, social and cultural dynamics. It examines the post-war experiences of those men and women who served and illuminates the nature of the post-war society for which service had been given. Complicating the homogenising tendency in existing scholarship it offers comparison of the experiences of veterans in different regions of Britain, including perspectives drawn from Ireland. Further nuance is offered by the assessment of the experiences of ex-servicewomen alongside those of ex-servicemen, such focus deeping understanding into the gendered specificities of post-war veteran activities and experiences. Moreover, case studies of specific cohorts of veterans are offered, including focus on disabled veterans and ex-prisoners of war. In these regards the collection offers vital updates to existing scholarship while bringing important new departures and challenges to the current interpretive frameworks of veteran experiences in post-war Britain and Ireland.

The Veterans Treatment Court Movement provides a comprehensive, empirical analysis of the burgeoning veteran's court movement from genesis through to operation, and concluding with comments on its societal relevance. Beginning with the unlikely convergence of therapeutic jurisprudence with the oft-misunderstood warrior ethos that undergirds the entire movement, the text examines every component of veterans courts, weighing the cultural, legal, and practical strengths and limitations of these programs. Each chapter assesses key components of the court, including the participants, law enforcement, judges, prosecution, defense counsel, court administration, data management, the Veterans Justice Outreach Officer (VJO), probation, mentors, and the community. The book concludes with recommendations on how these courts can further integrate with communities, maximize efficiency, and improve. The book shows how veterans courts seek to serve veterans' legal, social, and psychological needs, and how they serve more than just offending veterans by allowing law-abiding veterans, many of whom suffered greatly when they transitioned out of military service, to exorcize their own demons and integrate their experiences into a socially recognized system of care. Incorporating program evaluation with sociological considerations, this monograph offers a comprehensive, considered examination of how - and why - these courts operate, and provides a foundation for future development. The volume provides essential background for scholars studying law and the criminal courts, as well as policymakers, judges, academics, students, and practitioners concerned with effective jurisprudence.

Remaking the Conquering Heroes shows that American policymakers and Army officers had to confront and take control over a lawless US military in the aftermath of World War II. Money laundering, theft, racial antagonism between black and white GIs, unregulated sex, and high rates of venereal disease threatened to undermine American authority in occupied Germany as much as Soviet-American conflict. Willoughby argues that it was the creative, if disorganized, reaction of American officials in Germany that helped create both a foreign policy framework and more inclusive, familial military establishment capable of consolidating and extending US power during the Cold War.

Explore this lighthearted look at service in the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) from 2000 to 2004 as seen through the eyes of a wide-eyed Washingtonian with both a penchant for sarcasm and a firm grasp of history. Beginning with a humorous summary of infantry basic training circa the turn of the century, the story moves steadily on to the 2001 Presidential Inauguration and to the joys and hurdles of a Washington, D.C. summer spent in ceremonial dress blues. The national trauma of September 11th, 2001 is herein explored at some length, as The Old Guard would play a sizable role in the post-attack recovery efforts. Tales depicting the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of life in the Army's oldest and most storied of units keep the material accessible, engaging, and often humorous. Readers who know little or nothing about The Old Guard will glean from these pages a sense of close acquaintanceship by book's end.

Shaping the debate on how to save the military from itself. The first part recognizes what the military has done well in attracting and developing leadership talent. The book then examines the causes and consequences of the modern military's stifling personnel system and offers solutions for attracting and retaining top talent.

A vivid account of the opening weeks of war by a volunteer despatch rider who may have prevented a swift German victory. Of Anglo-German stock, Roger West was conflicted when the war broke out but volunteered out of the strong sense of duty that was characteristic of his class. His linguistic skills led to his being commissioned into the Intelligence Corps but he was seconded as a despatch rider to the 19th Brigade, which bore a great brunt of the fighting in the first few weeks in 1914. West was in the thick of things despite being crippled with a badly-damaged foot, often riding round the clock, delivering despatches and directing and assisting soldiers separated from their units and disoriented stragglers. Discovering that a critical bridge had been left open to the German advance he volunteered to ride back and blow it up, preventing the retreating Fifth French Army from being taken in the flank, something that could have fulfilled the Schlieffen Plan's aims and won the war for Germany.

The biography of Rear Admiral Lawrence Cleveland Chambers is an amazing story of one of America's historic naval men who overcame the prejudices of the segregated American South, who excelled and integrated the prestigious U.S. Naval Acadmy, only to become the first African American to command a navy carrier squadron, the first to command an aircraft carrier, the first to serve as naval aviator to attain the rank of Rear Admiral, and the first to command a naval carrier group. It is a deeply personal and revealing account of a remarkable journey of man whose career paralleled the geopolitical conflict of the Cold War between the United States and the communist bloc nations of China and the Soviet Union, then served as the Captain of the USS Midway (CV-41) during the evacuation of Saigon during Operation Frequent Wind, and how the challenges of his youth and his compelling life story enabled him to make the right leadership decisions for all of the right reasons.

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Art Therapy with Military Veterans: Trauma and the Image provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and applying art therapy with former and serving armed forces personnel who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This book brings together experienced contributors in one volume to provide the range of information essential to those seeking to understand the complexities of working in this context. In recent years, art therapy has received increasing attention as a promising treatment for veterans with PTSD. This cutting-edge book provides vital background information on PTSD, military culture and mental health provision, and an effective art therapy working model. The text explores creative partnerships with other disciplines, in different settings, and includes first-hand accounts from veterans about the role art therapy has played in their recovery. This accessible book is a timely response to growing recognition of the value of art therapy with veterans, and it also addresses issues relevant to the wider population of people whose lives have been detrimentally affected by trauma. With chapters authored by leading clinicians in this field, Art Therapy with Military Veterans: Trauma and the Image will be of interest to all art therapists and mental health professionals working with traumatised veterans.

In the global theatre of contemporary warfare, courage and endurance are crucial for overcoming adversity. However, for Caroline Paige, a jet and helicopter navigator in the Royal Air Force, adversity was a common companion both on and off the field of battle.In 1999, Paige became the first ever openly serving transgender officer in the British military. Already a highly respected aviator, she rose against the extraordinary challenges placed before her to remain on the front line in the war on terror, serving a further sixteen years and flying battlefield helicopters in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.Detailing the emotional complexities of her transition, Paige reveals the external threats she faced in warzones around the world and the internal conflict she suffered while fighting prejudice at home. The result is a story of secrecy and vulnerability, of fear and courage, of challenge and hope.Criss-crossing battle lines both foreign and domestic, True Colours is the unflinchingly honest and inspirational account of one woman's venerable military career and the monumental struggle she overcame while grappling with gender identity on the quest for acceptance.

This is the first book to bring together an interdisciplinary, theoretically engaged and global perspective on the First World War through the lens of historical and cultural geography. Reflecting the centennial interest in the conflict, the collection explores the relationships between warfare and space, and pays particular attention to how commemoration is connected to spatial elements of national identity, and processes of heritage and belonging. Venturing beyond military history and memory studies, contributors explore conceptual contributions of geography to analyse the First World War, as well as reflecting upon the imperative for an academic discussion on the War's centenary. This book explores the War's impact in more unexpected theatres, blurring the boundary between home and fighting fronts, investigating the experiences of the war amongst civilians and often overlooked combatants. It also critically examines the politics of hindsight in the post-war period, and offers an historical geographical account of how the First World War has been memorialised within 'official' spaces, in addition to those overlooked and often undervalued 'alternative spaces' of commemoration. This innovative and timely text will be key reading for students and scholars of the First World War, and more broadly in historical and cultural geography, social and cultural history, European history, Heritage Studies, military history and memory studies.

During the first half of the twentieth century, European countries witnessed the arrival of hundreds of thousands of colonial soldiers fighting in European territory (First and Second World War and Spanish Civil War) and coming into contact with European society and culture. For many Europeans, these were the first instances in which they met Asians or Africans, and the presence of Indian, Indo-Chinese, Moluccan, Senegalese, Moroccan or Algerian soldiers in Europe did not go unnoticed. This book explores this experience as it relates to the returning soldiers - who often had difficulties re-adapting to their subordinate status at home - and on European authorities who for the first time had to accommodate large numbers of foreigners in their own territories, which in some ways would help shape later immigration policies.

Caring for the wounded in the World War II Pacific Theater posed serious challenges to doctors and surgeons. The thick jungles, remote atolls and heavily defended Japanese islands of the Pacific presented dangers to medical personnel never before encountered in modern warfare. Sophisticated treatments, including major surgery, were by necessity far removed from the fighting, requiring front line medics to do the minimum-often under fire-to stabilize patients until they could be evacuated. Navy doctors responsible for thousands of sailors aboard fleets in battle found caring for the wounded daunting or nearly impossible. Yet to save lives, medical resources had to be kept as close as possible to the action. This book details the efforts and innovations of the doctors, surgeons, corpsmen and medics who worked to preserve life under extreme and dangerous conditions.

The Pursuit of Justice is the first book to examine three separate instances of soldiers risking their lives during wartime to protest injustices being perpetrated by military authorities: within the United States Army during the American Civil War, the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, and the British Army during World War II. Nathan Wise explores the three events in detail and reveals how-despite the vast differences in military forces, wars, regions of the world, and eras-the soldiers involved all shared a common sense of justice and responded in remarkably similar ways.

This multi-disciplinary resource provides an overview of perinatal mental and physical health issues within the military population. Perinatal mental health has far-reaching implications for military readiness. The text provides insights to the effects of military culture on identification, evaluation, and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and is an invaluable resource for military and civilian primary and behavioral health providers.