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