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Military men
The book seeks to provide an insight into the US army (US Army) inner essence and the influences which determine its development.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1970
25 people want to read
About the author
Ward Just
36 books83 followersWard Just was a war correspondent, novelist, and short story author.
Ward Just graduated from Cranbrook School in 1953. He briefly attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his career as a print journalist for the Waukegan (Illinois) News-Sun. He was also a correspondent for Newsweek and The Washington Post from 1959 to 1969, after which he left journalism to write fiction.
His influences include Henry James and Ernest Hemingway. His novel An Unfinished Season was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005. His novel Echo House was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1997. He has twice been a finalist for the O. Henry Award: in 1985 for his short story "About Boston," and again in 1986 for his short story "The Costa Brava, 1959." His fiction is often concerned with the influence of national politics on Americans' personal lives. Much of it is set in Washington, D.C., and foreign countries. Another common theme is the alienation felt by Midwesterners in the East.
Ward Just graduated from Cranbrook School in 1953. He briefly attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his career as a print journalist for the Waukegan (Illinois) News-Sun. He was also a correspondent for Newsweek and The Washington Post from 1959 to 1969, after which he left journalism to write fiction.
His influences include Henry James and Ernest Hemingway. His novel An Unfinished Season was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005. His novel Echo House was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1997. He has twice been a finalist for the O. Henry Award: in 1985 for his short story "About Boston," and again in 1986 for his short story "The Costa Brava, 1959." His fiction is often concerned with the influence of national politics on Americans' personal lives. Much of it is set in Washington, D.C., and foreign countries. Another common theme is the alienation felt by Midwesterners in the East.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 14, 2017
During the 1960s, Ward Just authored many books. This particular book is about how the Vietnam War was causing the Army to transform itself from within and from without. Just wrote this book in the vein of J. Glenn Grey's The Warriors—as an investigative and philosophical undertaking into the inner-workings of the Army and its ranks. Just structures each chapter around a specific issue (e.g. technology and R&D; the hemorrhaging of talented officers in the Army) and incorporates interviews with senior field-grade and flag-grade officers. Just also visits West Point and interviews cadets and instructors. While at West Point, Just commented on how a cultural shift was taking place at West Point whereby many cadets were no longer considering a career in the Army, but simply looking to receive a free education and complete their time-owed.
Just accurately captures growing intellectual and philosophical rifts tearing the Army apart in 1970—between those who believed in the necessity of Vietnam and those who believed it was a waste; between those who believed conventional operations were the Army's future and those who argued that unconventional, guerilla warfare lay ahead; between those who felt the Army had to mend ties with society and those who wished to make the Army more isolated, insular, and unresponsive to "hippies" and the "liberal media." Many of Just's stories and anecdotes reflect on how race, class, and the Feminist movements were affecting the social character of the Army and its appeal in a rapidly changing society. For example, Just found that officer's wives were increasingly becoming enamored of Women's Liberation and had begun making ultimatums to husband's who put their careers ahead of their family—it's the Army or me; it's your third tour in Vietnam or our marriage. Liberated women refused to follow husband's blindly through military careers that necessitated frequent relocation, uncertainty, and limited wives' potential for careers of their own. The relationship between the Feminist movement and the exodus of senior company-grade and field-grade officers in the Army, I think, is under explored in the literature and deserves more attention.
Of course, Just invariably describes how soldiers' culture changed over the 1960s. Draftee (and volunteer) culture among junior enlisted men now meant that dissent, insubordination, and negotiated settlements on the battlefield had become commonplace by 1970. Young men no longer accepted authority for its own sake, but found authority an object that needed constant scrutiny and qualification. More importantly, soldiers who goldbricked, obfuscated, and disobeyed now found sympathetic and encouraging segments within American society. Officers at the platoon, company, and battalion levels had to accommodate these views of the junior enlisted ranks if they were to have any success in Vietnam.
Overall, a niche book that only very few would find interesting (hence, no reviews on Goodreads). But well worth a read for those interested in the 1960s-1970s Army, the Vietnam War, and the beginnings of transformation within the Army after Vietnam.
Just accurately captures growing intellectual and philosophical rifts tearing the Army apart in 1970—between those who believed in the necessity of Vietnam and those who believed it was a waste; between those who believed conventional operations were the Army's future and those who argued that unconventional, guerilla warfare lay ahead; between those who felt the Army had to mend ties with society and those who wished to make the Army more isolated, insular, and unresponsive to "hippies" and the "liberal media." Many of Just's stories and anecdotes reflect on how race, class, and the Feminist movements were affecting the social character of the Army and its appeal in a rapidly changing society. For example, Just found that officer's wives were increasingly becoming enamored of Women's Liberation and had begun making ultimatums to husband's who put their careers ahead of their family—it's the Army or me; it's your third tour in Vietnam or our marriage. Liberated women refused to follow husband's blindly through military careers that necessitated frequent relocation, uncertainty, and limited wives' potential for careers of their own. The relationship between the Feminist movement and the exodus of senior company-grade and field-grade officers in the Army, I think, is under explored in the literature and deserves more attention.
Of course, Just invariably describes how soldiers' culture changed over the 1960s. Draftee (and volunteer) culture among junior enlisted men now meant that dissent, insubordination, and negotiated settlements on the battlefield had become commonplace by 1970. Young men no longer accepted authority for its own sake, but found authority an object that needed constant scrutiny and qualification. More importantly, soldiers who goldbricked, obfuscated, and disobeyed now found sympathetic and encouraging segments within American society. Officers at the platoon, company, and battalion levels had to accommodate these views of the junior enlisted ranks if they were to have any success in Vietnam.
Overall, a niche book that only very few would find interesting (hence, no reviews on Goodreads). But well worth a read for those interested in the 1960s-1970s Army, the Vietnam War, and the beginnings of transformation within the Army after Vietnam.
January 25, 2023
An examination of the U.S. Army in 1970. Each chapter looks at a different aspect of the U.S. Army: West Point, Generals. Sergeants, technology/machines, future trends and so on. Mr. Just interviewed multiple subjects and was allowed access by the Army (officially and unofficially). What was at one time a contemporary examination of the Army at the end of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War has become a historical document. Not a flag-waving puff piece, but also not a caustic assassination piece. Mr. Just was very clear-eyed and set out to look at the Army using a fair-minded approach. As an Army veteran I have to say that there is much in the book that is still relevant in 2023. Well written, intelligent, but not vicious, angry or condescending. In my opinion Mr. Just understood that he was writing about an organization that exists for war, but more importantly he was writing about those people who choose to join its ranks, whether it be for a few years or a lifetime. He gives them the floor and observes. Worth hunting for a copy if you're interested in such things.
June 8, 2022
Interesting look at the 1970 US Army. Writer Ward Just explores the ranks from top to bottom, discussing Vietnam, social issues, and the future of conflict. Wrote a more in-depth review here: https://medium.com/hybrid-analyst/boo...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews