Kirjahaku

The great nineteenth century French military thinker, Ardant du Picq, argued that selfless courage is rooted in a higher moral purpose, and is found among "Elite Souls." This is a book about five such "Elite Souls," all highly decorated young West Point graduates and recipients of the USMA's Ninninger Medal. Elite Souls outlines the importance of building and developing moral character in military leaders, while arguing that a rigorous academic education is also essential in creating young officers capable of the kind of creative and critical thinking necessary in the complicated wars of the twenty-first century. Dr. Raymond suggests that West Point's servant-leader model is critical in fostering the kind of intense selflessness ideally seen between junior officers, their NCOs, and soldiers. Finally, Elite Souls makes the case that inspirational commanding officers are also key. In this book, Dr. Ray Raymond argues that each of the recipients of the Ninninger Award entered West Point primarily for moral reasons and that the Academy's rigorous academic, military, and developmental methods strengthened those values. West Point produced young military leaders who were exceptionally well-educated and trained to deal with the complex challenges of war in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early twenty first century.

The reign of Henry VIII saw a renascent militarism encapture England. Memories of great victories over the French remained fresh and resplendent in the psyche and pageantry of early-Tudor England, and the pursuit of glory on the battlefield and of due recognition of England as a major player in European power politics were the identifying features of Henry's reign. In an exciting new work, James Raymond traces the development of Henry's military establishment within the context of the wider European military revolution. Making use of extensive new research into the military literature of the mid-Tudor period, 'Henry VIII's Military Revolution' is able to root firmly the military theories of the time within the solid realities of Henry's army. Raymond pays particular attention to the rise of professionalism in the English military, and its adaptation to new technologies and ideas. In this vein, the career of Sir Christopher Morris, Henry's first professional artilleryman, is explored for the first time, casting light on the experience of day-to-day life in the English army of mid-Tudor England, and challenging the established view on the development of artillery both in England and in Europe. "Henry VIII's Military Revolution" develops and expands the argument that the English Army was up-to-date with its European contemporaries, and moves the English experience away from the periphery towards the centre of the debate on the European military revolution. The militarism of Henry VIII's England is seen through new eyes in this fascinating new work.