Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the Present, Volumes I and II.
David F. Marley. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 2008. 1,112 pp. Illus. Maps. Index. Glossary. $195.
Reviewed by Commander John T. Kuehn, U.S. Navy (Retired)
David F. Marley has taken on a herculean task in this handsome two-volume set from ABC-Clio. First, a note on the publishers: They are engaged in a long-term project attempting to catalogue through volumes such as these a comprehensive military history of events since the dawn of time. Marley's work is another in their series of both anthologies and single-author works that serve primarily as reference volumes for the novice as well as the professional military historian.
What the author attempts here is both laudable and new: a comprehensive history of military events in the Western Hemisphere since the permanent arrival of the Europeans in 1492. As such—and Marley admits this up front in his excellent preface—the work is very much a Western-focused military history despite the large amount of narrative on warfare and conflict between the Native Americans and the European "invaders." He goes to great lengths, however, to show that the Europeans arrived among Native American civilizations and tribes already embroiled in widespread and chronic warfare with each other, despite the limitations regarding sources on this topic.
His structure takes a topical approach divided into ten periods, five in each volume. The dividing point for the two volumes is, not surprisingly, the American Revolution, with the bulk of that conflict being addressed in Volume II. Each section kicks off with a teaser from its period, such as the "Conquest of Chile," with a short narrative essay to provide context. The remainder is strictly chronological with either a day-by-day narrative or proceeding from important date to important date—for example the subsection June 26, 1680 is followed by August 7, 1680 in the section entitled "Irregular Warfare (1679-1688)." This makes the book a superb reference tool.
Marley adds further value by employing sidebar discussion. These are spread throughout the text to provide additional context for the reader.
The first volume is very heavily weighted toward events in early American history of the 16th and 17th centuries, two periods of great importance that are often forgotten and get so little play in high school history surveys and undergraduate American history courses. Another value is the addition of the huge amount of European/Native American history south of the Rio Grande, which has also been neglected over the years.
His approach has its weaknesses. The vast scope of the material is certain to open Marley to the same sorts of criticisms leveled at Arnold Toynbee—that the work has numerous factual and interpretive errors which specialists will quickly find and condemn while lauding those portions of the narrative that are not in their specialty.
In focusing on conflict only in the Western Hemisphere the reader loses quite a bit of context for the broader global impact of actions such as the seizure of U.S. possessions outside the hemisphere or intrusions of the outside wars into the hemisphere, such as Graf von Spee at Coronel in World War I. Nonetheless, these volumes are a very valuable resource and reference and focus on some much neglected areas of military history. I highly recommend them for specialists and general readers alike.
The Wonder Crew: The Untold Story of a Coach, Rowing, and Olympic Immortality
Susan Saint Sing. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2008. 304 pp. Illus. Bib. $25.95.
Reviewed by Bill Sanford
History has been recorded at many venues but seldom, if ever, a rowing course. At last, one has and it is the history of a legendary rowing coach and his remarkable crew. The author, a past national team rower, a professional historian, and a remarkable story teller has recorded the impact Coach Richard Glendon and his "Navy Admiral" crew had on the sport of rowing.
The story as written by Susan Saint Sing includes events leading up to the 1920 Olympics, the races, and resulting victory that started a remarkable 40-year winning streak for the U.S. in Olympic competition.
The author describes Glendon's development as a coach. She highlights his personality characteristics and early experiences in life that created a body of knowledge about the sea and the effects of water rushing across the bow of a hull. He believed in experimentation at a time when the rowing world was stagnate because of the successful—and unquestioned—British style of rowing that dominated the sport in the late 1800s as well as produced victories for England in the 1908 and 1912 Olympics. These attributes, along with his application of physics to the rowing stroke, psychology to the rowers' minds, and good nutrition to their bodies, were the ingredients that made this man a legend.
An extensive bibliography backs up the author's penchant for accuracy and detail as she documents important characteristics of each rower that include family and socio-economic status as well as his initiation into rowing. Sing's description of the rowers bonding together as a crew is based on her personal rowing experience and illustrates from first-hand knowledge why this area is so important to any crew's success.
Unbeknown to Glendon at the time, he was redefining rowing. The traditional New England prep school and Ivy League stereotypes that defined the rowing athlete before his efforts dissolved as a pool of larger, stronger athletes from all over the United States took up the sport.
Sing brings the 1919-20 collegiate rowing seasons to life through a rower's eyes. This pre-Olympic period was the culmination of almost two decades of painstaking work by Glendon that would help define his career as a coach. Her comparisons of the mighty English crews during this time and their training with that of the Americans is most interesting as it gives hints that the Americans were on the right track. While discussing the training, the point is well made that the demands on a rower's body as well as the complexity of the technique, set the sport apart from all others.
Rowing's history does not stand alone. The author weaves in world history as well. In the aftermath of World War I, the nation was looking for new heroes and Glendon's crew was put on a pedestal. She also sets the British crew in perspective. The nationalistic pride the English had in their Navy during the war was transferred to their seemingly unbeatable 1920 Olympic crew.
In the period leading up to the Olympic trials, the nation's expectations were heightened. Special treatment of the Navy oarsmen as covered by the press sparked great interest in their progress and put additional pressure on the crew. The author ably describes how both coach and crew handled the distractions and became a stronger, more mature crew because of them. Glendon's ability to attend to every aspect of the needs of each individual oarsman in the few weeks prior to competition set him apart from others in his field. The "Admirals" were better prepared mentally and physically because of this strength.
A highlight in the book for anyone who feels a tinge of national pride, loves athletic competition, and especially for those who have rowed a race in competition, is Sing's stroke-by-stroke account of the Olympic gold medal race. One can sense the confidence, the mental resolve, the physical toll, as well as the exhilaration of the crew during the last few strokes as they move through the "unbeatable" Brits to victory.
Susan Saint Sing has accurately conveyed to readers the impact the 1920 Navy Admirals Olympic crew had on rowing. Glendon and Navy let the cat out of the bag as rowing style and training changed dramatically world wide after 1920. This book takes us on an exciting journey that successfully immortalizes, finally, the "Wonder Crew" and their coach.
Dragon Days: Time for "Unconventional" Tactics
H. John Poole. Emerald Isle, NC: Posterity Press, 2007. 454 pp. Illus. Notes. Bib. Index. $16.95
Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Longino, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
Retired Marine H. John Poole, a long-time advocate of the military's need to adapt to fourth-generation warfare (4GW), has produced another fine work furthering his assessment of America's challenges. The author's position in his eighth book is that the U.S. military must develop the ability and capacity necessary to counter current and future threats without reliance on conventional operations. In his words, "Until the U.S. military learns how successfully to apply minimal force, it will be unable to curtail the current epidemic of insurgencies."
Dragon Days is organized along three different yet linked topics. Initially, the author addresses what he calls the Sino-Islamic connection from which he transitions to a well-organized and highly referenced discussion of various insurgencies and expansionist activities throughout South Asia. Of particular interest to readers are his reviews of current threats to stability there. This approach sets a solid foundation for the book's final two sections, especially if one accepts his analysis. Readers are cautioned that even Poole admits the "thread" he weaves is tenuous, but it is nevertheless thought provoking.
Poole then develops his concept for a viable containment strategy. According to him, the important ground in 4GW consists of villages and neighborhoods, which allows access to the population. To secure such terrain, the U.S. military needs specially trained forces that are capable of both winning the hearts and minds of the populace and defeating insurgents. Success requires the completion of both tasks and not simply one at the expense of the other. Troops should be expected to employ minimal force while providing greater support to local police and military forces and conducting more investigative and law enforcement functions to enhance security efforts. Additionally, the way ahead requires a different reliance on technology. This reliance should steer away from heavy-handed firepower and technological dependence and focus on tactical enhancements.
By the time readers reach the book's final section, they should be eager for Poole's views on tactics and techniques necessary to succeed on complicated 4GW battlefields. Here he shines with his vast knowledge of the essential skills operators need to survive and thrive in complex operating environments. Capitalizing on his in-depth knowledge of unconventional warfare and his studies of several experts in the field, Poole focuses on specific aspects of guerilla warfare, and escape and evasion. Throughout this section the author reveals one valid and practical technique after another as he documents specific skills. A few examples include: disguising an attack, enhancing rural terrain, and conducting urban escape and evasion.
Although Poole's primary efforts focus on enhancing small units and their tactical skills, this capability development must integrate into an overall military strategy. This approach requires organizational engagement from top to bottom to develop, prepare, and support such a military strategy. Whatever the military's approach to these challenges, it must be integrated into an overall interagency plan dealing with 4GW. While not specifically addressed in Dragon Days, the other components of an effective strategy—diplomatic, economic, and information elements of national power—must be in congruence with the military element to truly become an integrated strategy. If not integrated, dispatching exceptionally well-trained small units in search of 4GW success is risky to say the least.
Overall, Dragon Days is an informative and easy read with numerous illustrations supporting the author's points. Poole provides readers with a 4GW strategic background and then gets down to recommendations for success. His focus on small-unit leadership, bottom-up training, less reliance on firepower, reconnaissance-pull operations, and advanced small-unit development is worthy advice to strategist, planners, and operators.
Marines, Soldiers, and other personnel who directly face 4GW threats will benefit from reading Dragon Days. The author has researched and developed an impressive book on unconventional warfare tactics and techniques that should not be ignored. When combined within an overall strategy, these tactics and techniques support gaining and maintaining the important ground while defeating insurgencies and their causes.
Rampant Raider: An A-4 Skyhawk Pilot in Vietnam
Stephen R. Gray. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2007. 275 pp. Illus. Maps. Index. $32.50.
Reviewed by Commander R. R. "Boom" Powell, U.S. Navy (Retired)
When veterans of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club read Stephen Coontz' Flight of the Intruder (Naval Institute Press, 1986) a typical reaction was, "I've been there, I did that." That book was fiction. Stephen Gray's Rampant Raider will elicit the same response, only this time the book is factual. The author went to war as a brand new naval aviator when the air war in Vietnam was at its most intense—1967. Tactics were evolving through bitter experience as the enemy's defenses improved and American losses mounted.
Usually a junior officer is unaware of significant changes, but as the pilot at the very bottom of the seniority list, Gray frequently flew wing with major strike leaders, squadron COs, operations officers, and CAG himself. The experience gave him a unique perspective. As a senior officer's wingman he had a close-up view of significant and memorable missions. A faulty bomb fuse turned his second mission into a scary one and led to his comment that after two weeks " . . . all I had managed to do was to bomb some clouds and blow myself out of the sky." That changed as he later got into the thick of the action.
Blessed with a splendid memory and aided by letters his wife saved, the author's descriptions and details are vivid and accurate. (How many can remember the nonsensical target names at MCAS Yuma? Kitty Baggage. Rakish Litter. Inkey Barley. Loom Lobby.) His writing is smooth with a good turn of phrase. Except for the lack of a plot, Rampant Raider has enough action to make a great novel. Gray was there for events which have become naval aviation lore: the first strike on Kep, the first Walleye drops, wet-wing tanking to the ball, Al Crebo's shot up "not enough parts left to bring back" A-4, Frank Prendergast's escape from North Vietnamese soldiers in shallow water with only a Derringer pistol for defense, futile attacks on the Thanh Hoa bridge, Alpha strikes.
Errors are few and far between; just enough to give nitpickers something to do. One omission is despite descriptions of the other carriers that shared the hazardous spring and summer of '67 with the Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), he never mentions the Intrepid (CVS-11), there on her second of three cruises as a special-category attack carrier. Perhaps this reviewer noticed because he was on board the "Fighting I." Gray also makes the claim that Carrier Air Wing 21 flew more Alpha strikes against more heavily defended targets than any other carrier. Whether the records validate this is not important. The perception that one was a part of such an accomplishment is.
The first section following him through his experience as a Sailor helicopter aircrewman and flight training as a Naval Aviation Cadet is perhaps too cluttered with each step through the syllabus. It will, however, renew memories, fond and not so, for anyone who won their wings in the 1960s and provide the next generation with a good view of flight training in that era. The remainder of the memoir has not only an appeal for those who were there, but provides a valuable bit of history. Gray's attitude toward the Vietnam War evolves with time and experience; sailing past the Arizona (BB-39) in Pearl Harbor, "I felt the thrill of anticipation of going to war myself." Then later, he describes another mission that only "provided job opportunities for bomb repair crews." He does not dwell on the fact that he made a second combat deployment. On any level, Rampant Raider is highly recommended as a good look at the air war over Vietnam seen from the cockpit of an A-4 Skyhawk.