Press On!: Selected Works of General Donn A. Starry - Volume I

General Starry’s range of interests, as will be apparent to all who come to this collection, was extraordinarily broad. Many topics he addressed repeatedly over long periods of time, his views—and his articulation of those views—evolving over the years. That is particularly the case with respect to doctrinal matters, the tank-antitank calculus, and the preeminent importance of the individual soldier. Materials chosen for inclusion in this collection accordingly reflect some repetition, especially in matters of long-term interest to General Starry, illustrating how his thinking developed. Starry himself often made intentional use of repetition, as for example in his well-known speech “Tanks Forever and Ever,” in which he recapitulated virtually his entire argument from the earlier “Tanks Forever.” To provide some structure to this wide range of material, it was decided to present items in categories and then, within those categories, chronologically. As will be apparent, quite a number of the pieces could just as well have been inserted in other categories, so where to place them was simply a matter of editorial judgment. The real impact of this material is, in any event, in its cumulative depth and range, so it is hoped that many readers will make their way through the entirety of the collection. For those primarily concerned with particular aspects of General Starry’s eclectic interests, in addition to categorizing the materials under topical headings, an extensive index has been provided. Articles and speeches are, for the most part, rendered in their entirety. Where exceptions have been made, those are indicated in the usual manner by the use of ellipses. When it comes to messages and correspondence, however, only internal omissions have been shown and, in the majority of cases, what has been included is only a pertinent excerpt from a longer communication. Often General Starry annotated papers to show that he had seen them by drawing a small star and inserting within it a capital letter Y (thus Starry). An example may be seen on the book’s back cover and at certain other points in the text. A frequent sign-off, often followed by the hand-drawn star, was “Press On!” which has thus been adopted for this collection’s main title. Finally, there will be found, in some categories of materials, considerable discussion of the threat. In the context of the times, of course, that meant primarily the Soviet and Warsaw Pact threat, which also constituted the principal anticipated adversary in the much-discussed Central Battle. While that threat no longer exists, at least to the same degree, it is important to be aware of the Starry conception and depiction of it in order to understand much of what—in terms of doctrine, tactics, equipment, and training—was driven primarily by contemporary appreciation of that threat.