From the late 1960s to the late 1970s, the United States Army was a demoralized institution in a country in the midst of a social revolution. The war in Vietnam had gone badly and public attitudes about it shifted from indifference, to acceptance, to protest. Army Chief of Staff General Creighton Abrams directed a major reorganization of the Army and appointed William E. DePuy (1919–1992) commander of the newly established Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), in 1973. DePuy already had a distinguished record in positions of trust and high responsibility: successful infantry battalion command and division G-3 in World War II by the age of twenty-five; Assistant Military Attaché in Hungary; detail to CIA in the Korean War; alternating tours on the Army Staff and in command of troops. As a general officer he was General Westmoreland's operations officer in Saigon; commander of the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam; Special Assistant to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, Army. But it was as TRADOC Commander that DePuy made his major contribution in integrating training, doctrine, combat developments, and management in the U.S. Army. He regenerated a deflated post-Vietnam Army, effectively cultivating a military force prepared to fight and win in modern war. General William E. DePuy: Preparing the Army for Modern War is the first full-length biography of this key figure in the history of the U.S. Army in the twentieth century. Author Henry G. Gole mined secondary and primary sources, including DePuy's personal papers and extensive archival material, and he interviewed peers, subordinates, family members, and close observers to describe and analyze DePuy's unique contributions to the Army and nation. Gole guides the reader from DePuy's boyhood and college days in South Dakota through the major events and achievements of his life. DePuy was commissioned from the ROTC six months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, witnessed poor training and leadership in a mobilizing Army, and served in the 357th Infantry Regiment in Europe―from the bloody fighting in Normandy until victory in May 1945, when DePuy was stationed in Czechoslovakia. Gole covers both major events and interesting asides: DePuy was asked by George Patton to serve as his aide; he supervised clandestine operations in China; he served in the Office of the Army Chief of Staff during the debate over "massive retaliation" vs. "flexible response"; he was instrumental in establishing Special Forces in Vietnam; he briefed President Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House. DePuy fixed a broken Army. In the process his intensity and forcefulness made him a contentious figure, admired by some and feared by others. He lived long enough to see his efforts produce American victory in the Gulf War of 1991. In General William E. DePuy, Gole presents the accomplishments of this important military figure and explores how he helped shape the most potent military force in the history of the world.

General William E. DePuy: Preparing the Army for Modern War (American Warrior Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Gole, Henry G.

Leaders & Notable People

University Press of Kentucky

As World War II recedes from living memory, there remain untold stories of important behind-the-scenes operatives who provided vital support to the leaders celebrated in historical accounts. Colonel Truman Smith is one of the most compelling figures from this period, but there has never been a biography of this important and controversial man. In Exposing the Third Reich, Henry G. Gole tells this soldier's story for the first time. An American aristocrat from a prominent New England family, Smith was first assigned to Germany in 1919 during the Allied occupation and soon became known as a regional expert. During his second assignment in the country as a military attaché in 1935, he arranged for his good friend Charles Lindbergh to inspect the Luftwaffe. The Germans were delighted to have the famous aviator view their planes, enabling Smith to gather key intelligence about their air capability. His savvy cultivation of relationships rendered him invaluable throughout his service, particularly as an aide to General George C. Marshall; however, the colonel's friendliness with Germany also aroused suspicion that he was a Nazi sympathizer. Gole demonstrates that, far from condoning Hitler, Smith was among the first to raise the alarm: he predicted many of the Nazis' moves years in advance and feared that the international community would not act quickly enough. Featuring many firsthand observations of the critical changes in Germany between the world wars, this biography presents an indispensable look both at a fascinating figure and at the nuances of the interwar years.

Exposing the Third Reich: Colonel Truman Smith in Hitler's Germany (American Warrior Series)

Historical

Startled by the bombing of Pearl Harbor, goes the mythology, Uncle Sam laid down spanner and spade and rolled up sleeves to defeat Japan and Germany. In fact says Gole, a retired US Army colonel turned historian, the US was not totally unprepared for global war. He reconstructs the thinking and plans from course material that was used at the US Army War College and lost until recently. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Road to Rainbow: Army Planning for Global War, 1934-1940

History

Military

Naval_Institute_Press

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.

Soldiering: Observations from Korea, Vietnam, and Safe Places

POTOMAC BOOKS

In a war that was already lost, there was a small group of dedicated soldiers who refused to quit. Operating from camps in places like Kontum and Dak To, Special Forces recon men risked their lives behind enemy lines on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and Cambodia, conducting missions whose detection often meant death or something worse.Officially, they did not exist. Their government denied that they were operating in “neutral” countries; Hanoi denied the very existence of the Trail. If killed or captured in Laos or Cambodia, the Green Berets would be reported MIA or KIA—in Vietnam. They fought for each other and for their honor as soldiers.It is 1970. The United States Government is seeking a way out of the war “with honor” via a face-saving program called “Vietnamization.” This is the story of the fate of the recon men and the missions they conducted while highly skilled and motivated NVA hunter-killer teams pursued them on the enemy’s home turf.A recon team discovers a choke point on the enemy’s line of communication. For every day the Trail is blocked, enemy support of forces in the south is set back a month, giving South Vietnam a leg up. The special operators in Kontum are given the mission to do just that.There is a rub; the American president and his government must have “plausible deniability.” Therein lies the legacy of lies.“Very few authors have captured the action, intrigue and backstory of the secret missions as well as Colonel Gole does in ‘Legacy of Lies.’ A must read for those seeking the precursor to today’s military support to sensitive activities.” —Michael S. Repass, Major General, US Army (Retired) Special Forces“Gole’s novel is Fantastic! The best part, the top to bottom approach—from the White House, JCS, CINCPAC, MACV, down through SOG, right to the One-Zero firing tracers to mark his position for Covey.” —Colonel, USAF, (Ret) Tom Yarborough,author and decorated Covey pilot for SOG

Legacy of Lies: Over the Fence in Laos

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

SOG Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gole, Henry G.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gole, Henry G.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gole, Henry G.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

General William E. DePuy: Preparing the Army for Modern War (American Warrior Series)

Exposing the Third Reich: Colonel Truman Smith in Hitler's Germany (American Warrior Series)

The Road to Rainbow: Army Planning for Global War, 1934-1940

Soldiering: Observations from Korea, Vietnam, and Safe Places

Soldiering: Observations from Korea, Vietnam, and Safe Places

Legacy of Lies: Over the Fence in Laos