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Americas curiosity about elite military
units is greater than ever in todays crisis-ridden world. And while
numerous books have examined the various elite forces, Bunker Hill
to Bastogne goes much further to show the relationship between
these special units and the societies that gave birth to them.
Though America in general has often regarded its military
establishment as an unfortunate necessity, elite formations have
nearly always emerged in moments of crisis. And while their
exploits have fostered the cherished image of the individualistic
but loyal rifleman-ranger, these legends have not always
corresponded to reality. Americas roster of heroic images has long
included esteemed elite units, running the gamut from Rogers
Rangers at Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution to
Berdans Sharpshooters during the Civil War and the paratroopers of
Normandy in World War II. But despite Americans reverent regard
for, and patriotic depiction of, elite units, they initially
distrusted the idea of a standing army given such abuses as the
quartering of soldiers in citizens homes. Indeed, the egalitarian
American spirit caused the Founding Fathers to discourage a class
of emperor-making military elites. And yet, elite units did emerge
during every major American conflict. But the evolution of such
forces has taken place in fits and starts, with units often
demobilizing after a particular crisis had passed. Only since World
War II have elite units become a consistently relied-upon arm of
the military for dealing with constantly erupting global crises.
Bunker Hill to Bastogne is a unique and timely chronicle of the
birth and evolution of elite forces and the American publics
reactions to them. It shows that despite Americans wariness of a
possible military elite, their love of the fabled rifleman-ranger
has seldom dwindled, though in the twenty-first century their hero
might wear a green beret rather than a coonskin cap. |
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| ISBN-10: 1574887750 ISBN-13: 9781574887754 |
Hardback - April 2006 |
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£18.00
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