Under Army orders : the Army National Guard during the Korean War /

This book makes contributions both to the recent spate of literature on the Korean War and to the perennial contention over the National Guard's place in the US Army. Beginning with an examination of the status of the Guard in the interwar army and nation, Donnelly (US Army Center of Military History) traces its mobilization and training, combat performance in Korea, contribution to the buildup of NATO, and rocky path to racial integration. He takes a "post-holing" approach by analyzing in detail certain units such as the 28th and the 45th Infantry Divisions to judge the Guard's effectiveness and to show the impact of the mobilization of those units on the communities from which they were drawn. However, Donnelly's approach means that certain of the major National Guard formations receive only the barest mention. Still, the book is judicious, well organized, clearly written, and based on extensive research in primary sources. Illuminating appendixes and an extensive bibliography add to its value. Recommended for university libraries. M. Muir Jr. Austin Peay State University