Spring 2020 Edition

March 2020

In the Spring 2020 issue of Army History, we are excited to offer two engaging articles, an interesting look at an Army artist, an update on microartifact installation at the National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA), a quality selection of book reviews, and comments from our executive director and chief historian.

In the first article, Center of Military History (CMH) historian J. Travis Moger examines Operation Vigilant Warrior, the U.S. military’s response to the 1994 movement of Iraqi Republican Guard divisions to the Kuwaiti border. The threat of an Iraqi incursion set off alarm bells in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. What easily could have been the opening phase of a second Gulf War turned into little more than Iraqi saber-rattling. Moger deftly describes this little-known operation and gleans numerous lessons from the shortorder mobilization and deployment of U.S. and allied troops.

The second article, by Grant T. Harward, looks at the World War I demobilization of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) through the eyes of a private first class. From a collection of letters archived at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage, Harward details the challenges faced by the AEF as it demobilized after the Armistice. Under public pressure to get the troops home as quickly as possible, while still maintaining an occupation force, demobilization presented the AEF with a myriad of problems. From logistical nightmares to transportation quagmires, complications mounted every day. This article presents First World War demobilization from a truly unique perspective.

This issue’s NMUSA feature showcases the installation of microartifacts into the museum’s exhibit cases and highlights the talents of dedicated museum staffers who handle these priceless pieces of American history.

The Art Spotlight for this issue looks at the artwork of U.S. Army artist Janet Fitzgerald. Her drawings and paintings are among the few in the Army Art Collection to depict women serving between World War II and Operation Desert Storm.

Opening and closing this issue we hear from the CMH executive director and the chief historian as they discuss a framework for actionable history and keeping Department of the Army Historical Summaries current, respectively.

As always, I look for your constructive comments about this publication and ask readers to submit their articles and request books to review.

Bryan J. Hockensmith
Managing Editor