Soldiering: Observations from Korea, Vietnam, and Safe Places

by Henry G. Gole

Overview

A career in the U. S. Army in the second half of the twentieth century was a passageway to every conceivable locale, hospitable and decidedly otherwise. Henry Gole's experiences lead the reader through the geography of one such career. The recollections of a professional soldier, Henry Gole's account is a humorous and interesting tale of a man who loved soldiering but not necessarily the organization in which he soldiered. He feels the gratification of having served in the U. S. Army during an era when, personal doubts and political controversy notwithstanding, the world depended on America and its armed forces to preserve freedom. He offers the unique perspective of a member of the "silent generation," those who immediately followed the World War II generation but find themselves often overlooked by historians and the media. From 1952 through 1988, covering the ordinary rifleman's view in Korea to the Green Beret's war in Vietnam, Gole also provides fascinating insight into the professional military at war and how these professionals relate to each other, both under great stress and during periods of decompression. Containing a wealth of leadership lessons that will serve as an invaluable guide for junior NCOs and officers alike, this thoughtful and introspective warrior has also written a moving tribute to the brave soldiers with whom he served.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612342917
Publisher:	Potomac Books Inc.
Publication date:	01/31/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Henry G. Gole, Col., USA (Ret.), Ph.D., fought in Korea as an enlisted rifleman and served two tours in Vietnam as a Special Forces officer. He has taught at West Point, the U.S. Army War College, the University of Maryland, and Dickinson College. He is the author of The Road to Rainbow: Army Planning for Global War, 1934–1940. He lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

	List of Maps	xi
	Foreword	xiii
	Preface	xv
	Acknowledgments	xxi
	Kamerad	xxiii
Part I	Blue Collar in New York: The Zeitgeist and My Little World	1
1	The Village, Chelsea, and Over the 59th Street Bridge	3
2	Big War, Small Boy	10
3	Pete the Barber	15
4	Teachers	18
5	Conversations with Dad	23
6	Geopolitics	29
7	You There, Personnel	33
8	Camp Kilmer	36
9	When I Say Squat	39
Part II	Khaki in Korea: The Zeitgeist and My Little World	47
10	Wasn't That Just Yesterday?	49
11	Fun and Games at the Replacement Center	52
12	Sailing the Bounding Main	54
13	Camp Drake	57
14	The Last Leg	59
15	That First Night on Line	61
16	Rios	64
17	The Gas Cylinder Retaining Pin Assembly, Sir	66
18	Listening Post	68
19	A Teenager's Theory	73
20	Report to the Company Commander	77
21	4 IQ	80
22	Chimpo Charlie	83
23	Chow Down	86
24	Good-bye to All That	89
Part III	Interludes and Reflections While Safe: The Zeitgeist and My Little World	93
25	Volare	95
26	Me and JFK	98
27	Bist du die Lidwina?	102
28	Pumpkins and Cobblestones	106
29	Poncho Annie	108
30	Deaths and White Rocks	111
31	Doesn't Anybody Know How to Play This Game?	115
32	Vater Unser	118
33	Ski	121
34	The American on the Moon	124
35	I'll Never Remember You	128
36	Kent State	135
37	Uncle Walter, My Boy, and Vietnam	137
Part IV	Vietnam: The Men: The Zeitgeist and My Little World	141
38	Lee, the Sergeant Major, and Bobby Boyd	143
39	Blackjack 21: A Long Walk in 1966	146
40	Bill Holt	162
41	Mr. Fritz	164
42	Mad Dog	168
43	Heinz	170
44	Fat Albert: One-Zero	172
45	RT Cookie	177
46	Two POWs	180
47	Patients & Medicines: Snuffy	185
48	Bro John	187
49	Chinese Medicine	191
50	Lope's Got a Gun	193
51	We Gotta Get Outta This Place	196
52	Die Junge Burschen	199
53	Thank God I Had Yards	201
54	Billy B's Silver Star	203
Part V	Ripples: The Zeitgeist and My Little World	205
55	Cool Pops	207
56	Welcome to Bonn and Sin Loi	211
57	Mac and Mack	215
58	Sunflowers	220
59	I Have German Friends	221
60	Mary Asked	223
61	Don't You Speak English?	226
62	How To Be a Lieutenant General	231
63	How Not to Be a Lieutenant General	233
64	Many Armies	236
65	Contemplating Retirement	239
66	Ripples: Tailwind	243
67	Postscript	247
	Glossary	249
	Index	251
	About the Author	255

Editorial Reviews

"[Gole] chronicles his life and times with modesty and self-deprecating humor but also with a clear compassion for his fellow soldiers. He displays a keen insight into the organizational dynamics of the Army, an institution in which he takes a great deal of pride. . . . Gole has written an account of his service that will particularly resonate with those who soldiered in the period from the Korean War through Vietnam and its aftermath. Soldiering is accurately titled; it is about the essence of the profession of arms, at its core a profession of ordinary people performing heroically in extraordinary circumstances. The literature of the profession is enriched by the observations of this old soldier, observations that also have relevance for today's warrior."—On Point: The Journal of Army History

On Point: The Journal of Army History

"The author provides a vivid portrayal of soldiering, honors a parade of deserving individuals, and adds more understanding of our Army operations during the third quarter of the last century. . . . A worthy addition to the Army library."—Parameters

Parameters

"Colonel Gole is the real article . . . A dedicated, accomplished officer . . . A born storyteller. He writes with verve and clarity."—Allan R. Millett, Coauthor of A War to be Won: Fighting the Second World War

Allan R. Millett

"An honest, forthright, even curmudgeonly soldier's memories across a turbulent, stirring half century."—Russell Weigley, author of The American Way of War

Russell Weigley

"Gole . . . is a story-teller of note, an officer with extensive combat service and equipped with superb credentials as a writer and historian. . . . A modest man, he chronicles his life and times with modesty and self-deprecating humor, but also with a clear compassion for his fellow soldiers. He displays a keen insight into the organizational dynamics of the Army, an institution in which he takes a great deal of pride. . . . The literature of the profession is enriched by the observations of this old soldier, observations that have relevance for today's warrior."—Military Collector & Historian

Military Collector & Historian

"[Gole] chronicles his life and times with modesty and self-deprecating humor but also with a clear compassion for his fellow soldiers. He displays a keen insight into the organizational dynamics of the Army, an institution in which he takes a great deal of pride. . . . Gole has written an account of his service that will particularly resonate with those who soldiered in the period from the Korean War through Vietnam and its aftermath. Soldiering is accurately titled; it is about the essence of the profession of arms, at its core a profession of ordinary people performing heroically in extraordinary circumstances. The literature of the profession is enriched by the observations of this old soldier, observations that also have relevance for today's warrior."—On Point: The Journal of Army History

On Point: The Journal of Army History

"Gole's strength lies in his portrayal of the soldier's view of events and the feel of matters at that point, which other writers might describe as where the rubber meets the road."—Army

Army

"An honest, forthright, even curmudgeonly soldier's memories across a turbulent, stirring half century."

"Colonel Gole is the real article . . . A dedicated, accomplished officer . . . A born storyteller. He writes with verve and clarity." --

From the Publisher