Letter From the Editor
GLH
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Going through back issues of Military Review brings to life both the journal’s proud heritage and the US Army’s distinct lineage. Many authors who wrote for the journal as captains, majors and colonels later show up in print as generals. Some Military Review authors became famous in their own right without ever wearing a uniform. That so many well-known military and civilian authors chose Military Review as the venue for publishing their ideas lends credibility to the journal and the US Army.
The selection process for articles in this 75th Anniversary Edition focused on authors who achieved a degree of greatness among their peers. This criterion should explain why so many general officer articles were chosen. Originality also was a key element in the selection process. An editor’s note at the beginning of the original article proclaiming that the author’s views were his alone and did not represent the views of the Department of the Army was a lightning rod for attention by the Military Review staff. Our intent was to capture the thinking of a future flag officer before he had his own staff or speech writers. Selected articles also had to have some relevance to current affairs.
Some names are conspicuously absent from the article index. If a senior general officer’s name does not appear in this anniversary issue, it is probably because he never submitted an article to Military Review. Some senior general officers’ articles previously published in Military Review were discounted, because they appeared to be adapted from speeches or taken from other publications. In most cases, only one article per author was selected for this special journal edition. These criteria were deemed essential to limit the edition to about 200 pages, a decision based on cost and editorial staff size. I herewith acknowledge responsibility for any omissions and solicit letters to the editor from those wishing to point out such errors. We will publish your letters in future issues.
Our comments precede most articles as well as each of the thematic sections, and an updated biography of each author appears at the end of the article. Biographies of deceased authors usually have more information than those of living authors. To maintain a feeling for the period when the articles were written, we did not change punctuation or endnote styles, both of which have evolved over the years.
I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank the key people whose contributions were paramount in bringing this Anniversary edition to fruition. To Colonel Richard M. Bridges, former Military Review editor in chief, thanks for your vision and considerable guidance in getting this project off the ground. We could not have done it without you! To Lieutenant General L.D. Holder, the Combined Arms Center commander and US Army Command and General Staff College (USACGSC) commandant, and Brigadier General Joseph R. Inge, USACGSC deputy commandant, thanks for providing the resources to publish this special edition. Your joint stewardship and insight are always appreciated. Last but certainly not least, to the Military Review editorial staff for their energy, creativity and perseverence-you done real good! We hope you enjoy this journey through Military Review’s history as much as the staff did putting it together.
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