The mid-twentieth century has added new dimensions to the roles and missions long performed by the United States Army. In many lands whose peoples speak alien tongues and observe strange customs; the American soldier is now living and working as ally; friend; and counselor. As a representative of the American way of life; as a persuasive advocate of his country's modern equipment and tactical doctrine; as partner in a global system of achieving security for the entire free world; he is called upon to demonstrate a variety of talents---patience; tact; linguistic ability; and superior professional knowledge; among others. In all that he does; he must make a supreme effort to understand people and traditions often vastly different from his own. One of the pioneers in this new type of Army endeavor was the Military Advisory Group to the Republic of Korea; commonly known as KMAG. The men and officers who served in KMAG during the early days came to know all the frustrations and triumphs; the problems and partial solutions; the failures and successes that characterize new ventures. Major Sawyer and Mr. Hermes have vividly recaptured the spirit and actions of the men of both nations whose joint efforts established a remarkable record of achievement. Though this volume describes the Army's experience in Korea only; the lessons it contains have great value to an officer assigned to advisory group duty in any nation. The book will also introduce the general public to the manner in which the United States soldier can and does meet the ever-changing tasks demanded of him by his countrymen. A professional soldier and a professional military historian pooled their talents to prepare this work. Major Saver; presently attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth; Kansas; wrote his manuscript while on duty with the Office of the Chief of Military History from 1951 to 1955. A combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War; he received a battlefield commission in France in 1945 and fought in Korea in 1950 with the 25th Infantry Division. He holds the Silver Star; the Bronze Star Medal; and the Purple Heart. Mr. Hermes; also a World War II veteran; is a graduate of Boston University; where he received an M.A. degree in 1942; and is currently completing requirements for a Ph.D. degree in history at Georgetown University. A staff member of the Office of the Chief of Military History since 1949; he is the author of Truce Tent and Fighting Front; a forthcoming volume in the series UNITED STATES ARMY IN THE KOREAN WAR. William H. Harris Brigadier General; U.S.A. Chief of Military History
#2130253 in Books Wiley-Blackwell 2005-01-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .70 x 6.12l; .74 #File Name: 1405119594226 pages
Review
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Aimed at the StatisticianBy Dr. C. H. RobertsThis book was a bit of a disappointment to me since it is long on reporting research statistics and analyzing survey results and short on philosophical or cultural discussion. It fairly well chronicles the shift in some demographic groups from "religion" to "spirituality" but it does so from a rather detached; clinical standpoint. If you are on board with the new spirituality and are looking to read an apology for your change or; if you are deeply opposed to such a transition and consider yourself an unbendging traditionalist in religion; you probably won't find what you're looking for in this book. North American readers should be advised also that the focus of the study is a demographic survey of an English town in the U.K.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. How a Small British Town Informs Us About the Future of Religious ActivityBy Jeremy GarberDon’t let the title fool you. This volume provides a well-researched and sophisticated inquiry into the everyday life of a small British town that provides an illustration of the religious and spiritual future. Heelas; Woodhead; and the rest of their research team investigated attendance in what they call the “congregational domain†(traditional churches) and the “holistic milieu†(yoga; acupuncture; etc.) of a 27;000-person area from 2000-2002. The argument of their work is that due to the “massive subjective turn of modern culture;†a turn away from defining oneself in terms of external or objective roles toward one’s own subjective experiences; 21st century persons are moving from ‘life-as’ to ‘subjective-life;’ from defining oneself in terms of the transcendent or supra-self order toward subjectivities and relationships. They thus predict that traditional congregational life and investment in alternative forms of the holistic milieu (the unfortunately named ‘spirituality’ of the title) will roughly equal each other at 3-4% each of the British population in thirty years.Heelas and Woodhead provide a helpful typology of congregational life and how it differs from the holistic orientation. Congregational domain involves directing one’s attention away from one’s self toward something greater; while subjective-life invites attention toward the self. Their typology describes ‘congregations of difference;’ ‘congregations of humanity;’ ‘congregations of experiential difference;’ and ‘congregations of experiential humanity’ (17). Congregations of humanity emphasize connection between God and humanity; but emphasize moral behavior toward others rather than individual sensation (e.g. mainline liberal churches such as Anglicans and Methodists). Congregations of difference (and especially experiential difference) pay more attention to the self and the inner-life; but through external relations. Finally; there are congregations of experiential humanity such as Unitarian Universalists and Friends; which go the furthest in authorizing subjective-life; but are still oriented toward the humanitarian.The description of the holistic milieu essentially describes seeing spirit/energy/spirituality as dwelling within the human subject; using connective/flow language. Participants in the holistic milieu rejection ‘life-as’ understandings in favor of relationality and participant-centered activities. Their ultimate goal; based on surveys; is the enhancement of their individual personality rather than other goals such as release from the ego or bonding with the universe.The most valuable chapter is Chapter Four; Bringing the Sacred to Life: Explaining Sacralization and Secularization. The authors’ subjectivization thesis “states that ‘the massive subjective turn of modern culture’ favors and reinforces those (subjective-life) forms of spirituality which resource unique subjectivities and treat them as a primary source of significance; and undermines those (life-as) forms of religion which do not.†(78) They support the Durkheimian principle that people are more likely to be involved with forms of the sacred that are consistent with their existing values and beliefs. In turn; the values of subjective-life “are catered for when the sacred is experienced as dwelling within the unique.†(82) The holistic milieu thus offers an extra niche to those interested in more than the subjective wellbeing culture.Conversely; the decline of ‘life-as’ expectations in culture means a corresponding decline of life-as congregational roles. In their most intriguing observation and call for further research; the authors suggest that the postmodern workplace provides compelling ‘life-as’ control systems which make it less likely that people will seek ‘life-as’ in their spare time. In other words; we are so over-monitored and pigeon-holed at work that we need to escape it when we look for the sacred. Finally; in a tentative look at the future; the authors argue that “the future of associational forms of the sacred in Britain depends on the future of ‘the massive subjective turn of modern culture’; and the ways in which religions and spiritualities relate to it … so long as value continues to be attached to the development; cultivation and exploration of subjective-life; and so long as subjectivized culture extols the virtues of wellbeing; there is every reason to suppose that the future of subjective-life spiritualities is secure.â€Heelas; Woodward; and their team provide a well-researched deep reading of a small British town. In some ways; both their research and their conclusions are unique to Great Britain at the turn of the twenty-first century; and cannot be applied either to the context of the USA or more radically to developing worlds. Some of their predictions are based solely on book sales in major British book chains; which begs the question whether their forecast about the holistic milieu is accurately supported by the evidence. However; their typology of congregations and the “holistic milieu†are extremely helpful in analyzing the dynamics of participants in contemporary religious culture. This book is recommended for religious studies instructors and students; particularly those interested in a successful model of sociological research; as well as religious leaders looking for the ways that their particular communities work and how those ways might impact the future.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating; but too much research for the general readerBy CustomerThe book attempts to study the rise of spirituality through the in depth study of one community; its different "religious" and "spiritual" practices and their change over time.For those who are just interested in the general theory-- that "subjectavism" has caused the attractiveness of new pratices -- the detailed information about the specific community is a bit cumbersome; but probably necessary for specialists who need to be convinced that the thesis is true.
