Why a Soldier? - Softcover

Fitz-Enz, Colonel David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804119384 ISBN 13: 9780804119382

Publisher: Ballantine Books Inc., 2000

Synopsis

An inside look at the U.S. Army Signal Corps describes its accomplishments during the Vietnam War, including its development of a rapid-response system that combined flexibility, state-of-the-art communications technology, and interdependence among the various branches of the military. Original.

About this title

About the Author

Col. David G. Fitz-Enz was a regular army officer for thirty years, retiring in 1993. Among his decorations are the Soldier's Medal for Heroism, the Bronze Star for Valor with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, and the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters. He is a graduate of Marquette University, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. He is published in Military Review, the army's professional journal. <br><br>Colonel Fitz-Enz is the national president of the American Military Retirees Association and vice president of Cannonade Film Works, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

He was one of the best, Airborne, proud to serve his country and fight its toughest war--in the hell that was Vietnam.<br><br>Known to all as "Fitz," Signal Corps officer David Fitz-Enz served two tours in Vietnam. He was a soldier, combat photographer, and platoon leader, fighting America's cruelest war--from the VC-infested rice paddies of the Mekong Delta to the dreaded Ia Drang Valley, where the enemy ruled the night. <br><br>Dispensing with traditional, sluggish chains of command, the Signal Corps developed a rapid-response system based on greater flexibility, cutting-edge communications technology, and interdependence between the branches of the military during the war. Now commanders in the field were able to call in artillery, air strikes, and reinforcements at a moment's notice. Fitz-Enz himself orchestrated the first-ever hook up over tactical systems between the President in the Oval Office and a general in the Vietnam jungle. The only book of its kind, WHY A SOLDIER? gives us the inside view of the Corps as it launched an exciting new era in strategic and tactical communications that set the groundwork for all future military operations.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ballantine Books Inc.
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0804119384
• ISBN 13: 9780804119382
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 406