Through the Eye of the Dragon. A History of the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery in the Persian Gulf War.
Abstract
War! My generation grew up in the Army hearing our Elders, the Veterans (the captains and the majors), tell about Vietnam and how war really was. We saw and lived through the after effects of Vietnam - the drugs and the racial problems, the draft army, then VOLAR (Volunteer Army) and poor popular support. For years my generation and our Elders worked to turn this around. We studied and trained hard. We redefined leadership and tactics. We worked training into an art, culminating our efforts with the combat training centers. We asked for and received the very best men and women America had to offer, and we turned them into soldiers. We read and studied the art of war and prepared for combat with the Russian Bear. We wondered how it would be, this phenomenon called war. And while we were as well prepared for it as any army that ever went to war, we had only our background in reading, our training, and the knowledge of our Elders to prepare us for the next clash of arms. Then, without warning, it came. The Persian Gulf War was not the conflict we expected, but it was an astounding validation of almost twenty years of training and preparation for war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA296089
Entities
People
- Kenneth R. Knight
Organizations
- United States Army War College