24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) - Point of the Spear
()
About this ebook
More than 30 years ago, 24th Infantry Division soldiers answered the call of their Nation and went to war, first in Panama during Operation Just Cause to capture General Manuel Noriega and then in the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein. It was the 24th IDs deep thrust into Iraq where it gained the nickname 'Point of the Spear'. The insignia of the 24th Infantry Division consists of a green taro leaf with a yellow border set on a red disk bordered in black. This insignia symbolizes one of the most famous fighting units in U.S. military history, taking on any aggressor in the steaming jungles, up rock hard mountains, through the frigid snow, on blood soaked beaches, and on burning sands. This book was written by a U.S. Army officer who served in the 'Victory Division' from July 1988 until December 1991. The international travel experiences the author had with the 24th ID set the stage for his civilian career that followed.
Raymond C. Wilson
Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.
Read more from Raymond C. Wilson
America's Five-Star Warriors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJanet Stewart: Royal Daughter & Mistress Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDead on Arrival: President John F. Kennedy's Assassination in Dallas, Texas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Men Who Saved the Liberty Bell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hessians Are Coming Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKennedy Family of Pennsylvania and Their Native American Kin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlane Went Down in Gander Town Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGame On: History of Video Games for Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOut of Necessity: George Washington's Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhether or Not It's a Weather Balloon? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll about Space Flight for Kids Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWashington's Life Guards: Conquer or Die Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPennsylvania Bucktails: Civil War Sharpshooters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Facts behind the Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIf These Walls Could Talk: Huling Hotel and Pack Horse Inn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSomething Ventured, Something Gained: My Quest to Become a White House Fellow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Duke and I: My Family Ties to John Wayne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoy Generals of the Civil War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGone Squatchin': In Search of the Elusive Bigfoot Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpace Pioneers: Animals That Paved the Way for Human Space Exploration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings'Twas Whose Night before Christmas? Moore Vs. Livingston Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNeil Armstrong: American Pioneer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMartyr of the Race Course Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) - Point of the Spear
Related ebooks
Vietnam Studies - U.S. Army Special Forces 1961-1971 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLinebacker II: A View From The Rock [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confederate Staff Work At Chickamauga: An Analysis Of The Staff Of The Army Of Tennessee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Organizational Leadership In Crisis:: The 31st Regimental Combat Team At Chosin Reservoir, Korea, 24 November-2 December 1950 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Order of Battle: 1st–290th Infantry Divisions in WWII Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5United States Army Special Forces In DESERT SHIELD/ DESERT STORM: How Significant An Impact? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Soldier's Guide: The Complete Guide to U.S. Army Traditions, Training, and Responsibilities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArmy Officer's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpecial Marine Corps Units Of World War II [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEyes Behind the Lines: US Army Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance Units [Revised Edition] Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Task Force 2-4 Cav - First In, Last Out - The History Of The 2d Squadron, 4th Cavalry [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUTAH BEACH TO CHERBOURG - 6-27 JUNE 1944 [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJust Another Day in Vietnam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Role Of Union Cavalry During The Atlanta Campaign Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConquer - The Story of Ninth Army, 1944-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCombat Support in Korea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDemystifying the American Military: Institutions, Evolution, and Challenges Since 1789 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsField Artillery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Be a Soldier: The Army's Capstone Doctrinal Manuals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAugust Storm: Soviet Tactical And Operational Combat In Manchuria, 1945 [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Army Officer's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsField Artillery: Including Maps and Photographs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ranger Force At The Battle Of Cisterna Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVietnam Studies - The Role Of Military Intelligence 1965-1967 [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHALE’S HANDFUL...UP FROM THE ASHES:: The Forging Of The Seventh Air Force From The Ashes Of Pearl Harbor To The Triumph Of V-J Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmall Unit Actions [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVietnam Studies - Command and Control 1950-1969 [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarmony Of Action - Sherman As An Army Group Commander Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOkinawa: The Last Battle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Wars & Military For You
Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Art of War: The Definitive Interpretation of Sun Tzu's Classic Book of Strategy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unit 731: Testimony Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The God Delusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Unacknowledged: An Expose of the World's Greatest Secret Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Civil War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) - Point of the Spear
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) - Point of the Spear - Raymond C. Wilson
24TH INFANTRY DIVISION
(MECHANIZED)
POINT OF THE SPEAR
Written by
RAYMOND C. WILSON
24TH INFANTRY DIVISION
(MECHANIZED)
POINT OF THE SPEAR
Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords
Copyright 2023 Raymond C. Wilson
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of
the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial
purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own
copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.
Cover Artwork: 24th Infantry Division’s Desert Storm Silver Anniversary Reunion
Also by Raymond C. Wilson
Commander in Chief
Martyr of the Race Course
The Hessians Are Coming
America’s Five-Star Warriors
The Men Who Saved West Point
Plane Went Down in Gander Town
Elvis Presley: His Music and Movies
The Men Who Saved the Liberty Bell
Whether or Not It’s a Weather Balloon?
Sleepy Hollow: Facts Behind the Fiction
The King and I: My Family Ties to Elvis
Elvis Presley: You’re in the Army Now
Lance of Longinus: The Spear of Destiny
POTUS & FLOTUS: Washington to Biden
Tecumseh’s Revenge: The Curse of Tippecanoe
Pennsylvania Bucktails: Civil War Sharpshooters
George Smith Patton: Four Men Who Shared the Name
Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence
McKee Family of Pennsylvania: Loyalists and Patriots
European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents
Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)
Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)
Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Three)
Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Four)
The Making of Patton - An Academy Award Winning Movie
‘Twas Whose Night Before Christmas? Moore Vs. Livingston
If These Walls Could Talk: Huling Hotel and Pack Horse Inn
George Armstrong Custer and the Royal Buffalo Hunt of 1872
Beyond the Bighorn: The Afterlife of George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer and the Pennypackers of Pennsylvania
Kennedy Family of Pennsylvania and Their Native American Kin
Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Presidential Edition)
14th Cavalry Group in World War II - Story of Cavalryman Bill Null
Patton: Soldier Who Saved His Life and the One Who Caused His Death
Custer’s Luck Has Run Out: George Armstrong Custer’s Changing Image
Space Pioneers: Animals That Paved the Way for Human Space Exploration
Out of Necessity: George Washington’s Surrender of Fort Necessity to the French
Table of Contents
Introduction
History of 24th Infantry Division
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
After the 1st Gulf War
Afterword
Appendix 1: Operation Just Cause
Appendix 2: Operations Desert Shield/Storm
Bibliography
About Raymond C. Wilson
Introduction
More than thirty years ago, the soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) answered the call of their Nation and went to war, first to defend Saudi Arabia and then to liberate Kuwait by defeating the Iraqi Army. There were predictions casualties could be as high as 30% yet they stood side by side determined to accomplish the mission victoriously and bring each other home. In an outstanding performance of professionalism and leadership the Victory Division
lived up to its namesake and accomplished the mission with lighting speed as the Point of the Spear
of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Memorial service for fallen Taro Leaf soldiers
War is never without cost, sixteen ‘Taro Leaf’ soldiers (including my good friend Captain Tommie W. Bates of 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery) paid the ultimate price for freedom during the Persian Gulf War. Many others were wounded and even more came home with unexplained illnesses and the hidden wounds of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is for these men and women that our great Nation owes a debt of gratitude and remembrance. Each made a commitment, each soldier signed the dotted line to serve, protect and defend even to the point of death.
I was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) from July 1988 until December 1991. During that entire period of time, I was detailed to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (ODCSPER) at the Pentagon as Program Manager of the Battalion S-1 Program. As Program Manager, I was tasked to use the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) as a testbed organization to develop administrative procedures and software modules for the Tactical Army Combat Service Support Computer System (TACCS) in order to improve efficiency in the Battalion S-1 sections.
Soldier operating the Tactical Army Combat Service Support Computer System (TACCS)
My mission was to reduce the administrative workload by fifty percent in each Battalion S-1 section throughout the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) so the number of authorized personnel could actually complete all of their administrative duties without the use of ‘shadow clerks’. It was a common practice throughout the U.S. Army for Battalion S-1 sections and company orderly rooms to use additional soldiers (infantrymen, artillerymen, armor crewmen, etc.) as ‘shadow clerks’ to perform administrative duties in order to keep up with their workload. For a battalion with an authorization of seven administrative clerks in its S-1 section, it was not unusual to find an additional seven ‘shadow clerks’ performing administrative duties.
General John A. Wickham, Jr. (Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army)
General John A. Wickham, Jr., U.S. Army Chief of Staff, found this situation unsustainable and tasked Lieutenant General Robert M. Elton, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (DCSPER), to fix it. The DCSPER appointed Colonel Edward M. Strong as Director of the Army of Excellence (AOE) Personnel & Administration (P&A) Task Force. In turn, Colonel Strong selected me to be the Battalion S-1 Program Manager in 1988.
Colonel Edward M. Strong (Director of AOE P&A Task Force)
I had previously been a member of Colonel Strong’s AOE P&A Task Force for three years (first as Program Manager of Army Sponsorship and then as Program Manager of Reassignment Management). These duties on the AOE P&A Task Force were in addition to my regular duties as a Military Personnel Analyst in the Mobilization and Movement Control Branch at the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center (MILPERCEN) in Alexandria, Virginia.
Impressed with my ability to handle two jobs at the same time with little or no supervision, Colonel Strong handpicked me to be the Battalion S-1 Program Manager with duty station at Fort Stewart, Georgia. While performing my duties at Fort Stewart, I was 600 miles away from my immediate supervisor (Colonel Strong) in the Military District of Washington. In order to keep Colonel Strong (and his successors Colonel Neil N. Snyder III and then Colonel Neil Grotegut) up-to-date on my progress at Fort Stewart, I had to fly back and forth to Washington, D.C. on a regular basis