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American Military Experience
The First Infantry Division and the U.S. Army Transformed: Road to Victory in Desert Storm, 1970-1991
This fast-paced and compelling read closes a significant gap in the historiography of the late Cold War U.S. Army and is crucial for understanding the current situation in the Middle East.
In the two decades between Vietnam and Desert Storm, the 1st Infantry Division underwent rapid and dramatic change. Faced with institutional collapse, required to adapt rapidly to volunteer manning, and facing a radical change of mission orientation, the Army’s post-Vietnam leadership rewrote service doctrine and revised unit organization, training, and leader development for all ranks. As a result, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the 1st Infantry Division began preparing for war though they were not on the announced troop list and then spearheaded the rapid ground attack that swept the Iraqi Army from the battlefield with minimal loss of life.
In the two decades between Vietnam and Desert Storm, the 1st Infantry Division underwent rapid and dramatic change. Faced with institutional collapse, required to adapt rapidly to volunteer manning, and facing a radical change of mission orientation, the Army’s post-Vietnam leadership rewrote service doctrine and revised unit organization, training, and leader development for all ranks. As a result, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the 1st Infantry Division began preparing for war though they were not on the announced troop list and then spearheaded the rapid ground attack that swept the Iraqi Army from the battlefield with minimal loss of life.
- GenresMilitary FictionHistory
542 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2017
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30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 8, 2022
I served with Greg during Desert Storm as an Infantry platoon sergeant, and like his exceptional leadership then, this book shines with the detail and professionalism he is known for. This book brought forth details of the division's history that I was not familiar with and broadened my understanding of the service provided by the entire division. This is not a dry historical reference book, but an exhilarating dip into the true history of the Big Red One after Vietnam through Desert Storm. Kudos Greg, well done.
May 12, 2022
The Gulf War of 1990-1991 is not a well-known conflict. After an initial burst of releases of books in the 1990s, the literature on the war dried up. The memory of the war faded too, overwritten by that of the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in early 21st century. In 2016, the US Army decided that the 25th anniversary of the war would not be celebrated, much to the annoyance of the veterans.
In a nutshell, the war began when Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. A coalition of Western and Arab countries led by the United States then deployed to Saudi Arabia and drove them out. The author, Colonel Gregory Fontenot, commanded the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, of the 1st Infantry Division, in the conflict, so he knows what he is talking about, and there is a great deal of first-hand knowledge. This has been supplemented by reports and interviews with other participants.
The conventional American narrative of the war starts with the wreck of the US Army returning from Vietnam, and how it was rebuilt, shook off the spectre of defeat, and went ahead to win the war in the Gulf. The book follows this narrative arc closely, and takes an overly long time over the two decades before the war. Once the war begins, the book moves somewhat faster. The fighting itself is confusing, taking place at night, largely in poor weather, and in a largely featureless desert. The book emphasises how GPS was still in its infancy, and how orders were transmitted by the old World War II-era manner, that is, on paper.
A strength of the book is in the unflinching manner that it deals with errors, particularly the way it handles the circumstances surrounding the relief of commanders, and the issue of fratricides. The 1st Infantry Division suffered far more casualties from its own weapons than from Iraqi ones. (The book also follows other American works in that it also makes frequent, tiresome and often wrong-headed references to Carl von Clausewitz.) For the historian there is an aspect of frustration in that many problems that plagued the US Army in Vietnam, and indeed in World War II, remained.
This book is a sold contribution to the literature on the subject.
In a nutshell, the war began when Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. A coalition of Western and Arab countries led by the United States then deployed to Saudi Arabia and drove them out. The author, Colonel Gregory Fontenot, commanded the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, of the 1st Infantry Division, in the conflict, so he knows what he is talking about, and there is a great deal of first-hand knowledge. This has been supplemented by reports and interviews with other participants.
The conventional American narrative of the war starts with the wreck of the US Army returning from Vietnam, and how it was rebuilt, shook off the spectre of defeat, and went ahead to win the war in the Gulf. The book follows this narrative arc closely, and takes an overly long time over the two decades before the war. Once the war begins, the book moves somewhat faster. The fighting itself is confusing, taking place at night, largely in poor weather, and in a largely featureless desert. The book emphasises how GPS was still in its infancy, and how orders were transmitted by the old World War II-era manner, that is, on paper.
A strength of the book is in the unflinching manner that it deals with errors, particularly the way it handles the circumstances surrounding the relief of commanders, and the issue of fratricides. The 1st Infantry Division suffered far more casualties from its own weapons than from Iraqi ones. (The book also follows other American works in that it also makes frequent, tiresome and often wrong-headed references to Carl von Clausewitz.) For the historian there is an aspect of frustration in that many problems that plagued the US Army in Vietnam, and indeed in World War II, remained.
This book is a sold contribution to the literature on the subject.
February 20, 2019
Greg Fontenot took me back almost 30 years to my service as a platoon leader in A Company/9th Engineers during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. I had the honor of briefly serving under Greg before moving on to 4-37 Armor. This is a must read for anyone who served in The First Infantry Division in 1990-91.
April 20, 2021
This is an outstanding and informative description of how the Army improved from someone directly involved in it. I am very impressed with both the book and the author's leadership during Desert Storm.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews