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Summary
Summary
For Army's players, their 1964 football game against a Navy team led by its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Roger Staubach, was a do-or-die battle. Army had lost to Navy five years in a row. This time a stunning victory by Army changed the Cadets' fortunes and made headlines across the country. With five of its starters playing offense and defense, Army rallied to an 11-8 triumph. The win was the beginning of an even greater challenge for West Point's players. Soon they were in Vietnam, fighting a war that did not end as they or America expected. In Every Army Man Is with You Nicolaus Mills tells the story of that unforgettable Army team by focusing on the lives of seven of its players as they go from the football field, to the Vietnam battlefield, and back again to the States. Mills sheds light not just on what that the players' experiences meant to them personally but on what their experiences say about the ways the Vietnam era shaped our nation.
Author Notes
Nicolaus Mills is an historian, author, and journalist, and is a professor at Sarah Lawrence College.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Historian Mills, a professor at Sarah Lawrence College, traces the heroics of the Army players who triumphed in the 1964 game against Navy (piloted by future Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Roger Staubach) to the jungles of Vietnam with exceptional insight. The title of the book comes from a gung-ho telegram sent by former president Dwight Eisenhower to the Army football stars before their classic showdown with Navy, but their upset victory, their first in five years, pales in contrast to their exploits in their battles with the Vietcong. Although Mills writes with much respect and authority of the importance of the Army brass to the young athletes, he reserves some of his highest praise for the Army head coach Paul Dietzel and his fearless squad, including quarterback Rollie Stichweh, linebacker Sonny Stowers, tailback John Seymour, guard Peter Braun, wingback John Johnson, and tackle Bill Zadel, all of whom faced foreign conflict and postwar life with grit and determination. Mills includes insightful interviews of these Army athletes on the battlefield and on the gridiron, honoring honor, courage, and determination. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Mills (Winning the Peace, 2008) focuses on the storied Army-Navy football rivalry and, specifically, on a group of senior cadets who were playing football in 1964 and then fighting in the escalating conflict in Vietnam shortly thereafter. The book begins with three short biographies of generals Eisenhower, Westmoreland, and MacArthur, each of whom urged Army coach Paul Dietzel, prior to the 1964 season, to return the team to its winning ways after a series of losses to Navy. Mills interviews several West Point players from the 1964 team and, through a series of linked biographies, describes how they made their decision to attend West Point and offers their recollections of the 1964 game, their service in Vietnam, and their thoughts about the war after returning home. Mills continues his fascinating account of cadet solidarity with the 1965 graduates' defense of a fellow alumnus, General Eric Shinseki, then Army chief of staff, as he disagrees with Donald Rumsfeld, then secretary of defense, regarding troop strength for the 2003 Iraq War. A compelling account of the character of West Point men that transcends Army's 11-8 victory in a football game.--Clark, Craig Copyright 2014 Booklist
Table of Contents
Preface | p. ix |
Cast of Characters | p. xv |
Introduction: Preparation for Battle | p. 1 |
Part I The Generals | p. 15 |
1 Ike's Telegram | p. 17 |
2 Westmoreland and His Coach | p. 29 |
3 Douglas MacArthur's Farewell | p. 43 |
Part II Play By Play | p. 53 |
4 Safety: Sonny Stowers | p. 55 |
5 The Gang's All Here: John Seymour | p. 67 |
6 Touchdown Catch: Sam Champi | p. 81 |
7 On a High: Peter Braun | p. 93 |
8 Iron Man: John Johnson | p. 107 |
9 Game Changer: Rollie Stichweh | p. 121 |
10 The Marine: Bill Zadel | p. 135 |
Part III Aftermath | p. 149 |
Epilogue: In the Wake of Vietnam | p. 151 |
Appendix A Teddy Roosevelt Starts a Tradition | p. 167 |
Appendix B The Golden Age of Red Blaik | p. 179 |
Interviews | p. 195 |
Notes | p. 197 |
Bibliography | p. 223 |
Acknowledgments | p. 233 |
Index | p. 235 |