Winner of the Army Historical Foundation's 2018 Excellence in U.S. Army History in the category of Unit History 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.