The Real Army

Engineer: The Professional Bulletin for Army Engineers, July, 2002 by Monte R. Lieutenant Colonel Anderson

My worst fears were confirmed. Senior NCOs who, of course, know of such things, told me that this was not the Real Army. Not any more! Some had spent many years in Germany. All had been to Vietnam and in stateside units. One NCO had been around the world three times and to a world's fair, two circuses, and a county fair. He knew everything, and he informed me that the Real Army no longer existed. It had died, unannounced, sometime between World War II and the Korean War. However, he had not actually been to Korea and, perhaps, a small remnant of the Real Army remained there. There was still hope.

The Army in Germany was in a metamorphosis. We concentrated on combating the drugs and made major headway. The Army moved to an all-volunteer Army, combined with frequent and random drug testing and easier ways to get rid of drug users. The new recruits arrived drug-free and with a positive attitude. They were well-trained in basic soldier skills. We began to develop teamwork and a sense of unit pride. We went from mastering platoon operations to company--and then to battalion and task force--tactics. Soon we became proficient at brigade and division maneuvers. It was as if we were beginning to create the Real Army ourselves.

I went from Germany to the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After graduation, I stayed on as a tactics instructor for 3 years. It was not, of course, the Real Army. We invented an imaginary army that could do anything--attack, defend, envelop, withdraw, cross rivers, and perform airmobile operations and urban fighting. You name it, this army could do it. Of course, the students had to plan for this dream army. It was always at 100 percent strength, sometimes 110 percent. It had the latest equipment, some of which had not really been fielded. There was no end to the supplies and logistics, as long as it was planned for and coordinated. It was the perfect army--on paper. We were in the middle of developing the AirLand Battle doctrine and supporting tactics.

In 1984, I went from Fort Leavenworth to be the Inspector General of the 2d Infantry Division in Korea. It was my sincere hope to finally find the Real Army. I was in a position to do a proper search. I inspected every unit in the division and was impressed by what I found. The soldiers were highly motivated, well-trained, and well-led. While the Cold War was coming to a close in Europe, that was not the case in Korea. The 2d Division stood toe-to-toe with the North Korean army, and every soldier understood his mission clearly. The division was up to strength and well-equipped, with new equipment arriving every day. This was not the Army of the '60s or the '70s. Every soldier had volunteered to be there. Drug use was way down. I thought that at long last I had finally found the Real Army, but it was not to be. Nearly one-third of the division's soldiers were Korean Augmentees--excellent Korean soldiers who spoke English. Most had been drafted and given a choice of serving with the Korean or the U.S. Army. Tha t made the 2d Division unique, because no other unit was made up of allied soldiers. No doubt, in the event of war with North Korea, these soldiers would be invaluable assets to the division. However, as configured, the 2d Division could not deploy to any other theater of operations. It was a stand-alone, one-of-a-kind unit. It was not the Real Army.