World War II was a war unlike any other before or after it. Slowly warfare began to shift itself away from the trenches and into mobile combat operations on air, land, and sea. The technological advancement was stark. However, there was far more to it than simple mechanics of warContinue Reading
Of the many struggles during the era of World Wars I and II, logistics of moving materiel from the United States to the Allies in Europe proved to be a costly and difficult endeavor. German U-boats plagued the Atlantic and were sinking ships virtually indiscriminately. Adoption of convoy systems wasContinue Reading
The Cold War was full of turbulent times. A new atomic age and the fear of Communist incursions across the world was enough to send the West into paranoid fits. Across the globe, however, the fear of nuclear war was almost certainly somewhere in the mind of every individual. However,Continue Reading
The history that leads to the Army Sustainment Command (ASC) is that of military logistics as a whole. Sun Tzu defined logistics as “A general science forming the most essential parts of the art of war.” Logistics has been a struggle that spans the age of war. From the ageContinue Reading
On a cold fall night at Rock Island Arsenal a Soldier named Sergeant Christiansen, who was described as “a giant” of a man with shoulders as broad as an elephant, found himself huddled near a fire while on guard duty at the Rock Island gate and wagon bridge. Meanwhile, hisContinue Reading
Of the many treasures on Arsenal Island, perhaps the most beloved one by the surrounding community is Quarters One. Designed by the second commander of the Arsenal, COL Thomas J. Rodman, Quarters One was constructed between 1869 and 1871. At the time that Rodman assumed command of the arsenal inContinue Reading
As World War II raged in Europe and East Asia, Americans had growing concerns and sense of duty towards the war effort. By the time the war touched the American home front on 7 DEC 1941, industry had already been partially mobilized and a handful of men were serving inContinue Reading
It took almost 40 years for members of the U.S. Army to define the requirements for a dedicated air force. The first time such a requirement was needed happened just months before a centralized force could be established. In 1941, the United States was pushed into World War II afterContinue Reading
The article below was a term research paper composed during my Sophomore Year. I’ve left it largely as it was at the time with a few minor changes for grammar and flow. The reflection focuses on Robbert Oppenheimer and his change in posture from the forefront of atomic weapons researchContinue Reading
The history of the U.S. Government at Rock Island reaches back farther than 200 years and has many paradigm shifting events throughout. However, perhaps the single most important event occurred not at Rock Island, but in Washington D.C. on 12 JUL 1862. On this day, Congress established three new arsenalsContinue Reading
