Military Review English Edition November-December 2015 | Page 133

REVIEW ESSAY

various locations to ensure they would not be destroyed
or confiscated. To further complicate his record-keeping
challenges, Balck was forced to keep his last six months of
journals in his own possession during
his captivity after the war. He managed
to save the journals by covertly passing
them to his wife during her visits, who
then smuggled them out of the prison.
Once released, Balck was reunited
with the journals and began work on
his memoirs.
Finally, unlike many memoirs I
have read, I cannot detect any overt
agendas on the part of either author.
Unfortunately, some military memoirists’ purposes seem deceptive, either
masking a veiled campaign of self–promotion in which the pages strive to
enhance the author’s achievements,
or functioning as a forum to degrade others or downplay
the accomplishments of peers. It is refreshing that I found
neither tendency evident within these volumes.
While these memoirs share some exceptional characteristics, the volumes are certainly distinctive from one another
in that they differ in focus, perspective, and, obviously, the
time periods and conflicts they address. These differences
benefit and appeal to different reading audiences.
The title of the Galvin memoir will not mislead readers.
For the entirety of his military career, Galvin was part of
the force dedicated to “fighting the Cold War,” and he reflects on his role in this fight. In a career as long as his, there
is much to reflect on, such as leading soldiers at every level
of command and serving in Vietnam.
Although Galvin’s story is engaging throughout, it is
his reflection on time spent as the commander of U.S.
Southern Command, and as the commanding general for
U.S. European Command and NATO’s supreme allied
commander, Europe, that I find particularly fascinating.
He provides a unique perspective that includes candid
thoughts on his personal engagements with leaders such
as Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev,
and Colin Powell. He also addresses the numerous events

that occurred while he commanded Southern Command,
such as the unrest in Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, and
Colombia. As commanding general for U.S. European
Command and NATO’s supreme
allied commander, Europe, he dealt
with key issues such as nuclear and
conventional arms-control talks with
the Soviet Union, the tearing down of
the Berlin Wall, and the rescue of the
Kurds following the first Gulf War.
Balck’s Order in Chaos is an incredible surprise for those seeking fresh
discussion on World War I, the interwar years, and World War II. His
reflection on World War I is, as one
would expect, heavily weighted to his
platoon- and company-level experiences. Interestingly however, following his
years of reflection, Balck also provides
his thoughts on the strategic and political aspects of World
War I, which are thought-provoking.
It was with much anticipation that I began reading
Balck’s account of World War II, and I was not disappointed. Balck, who commanded units from regiment to
army level during the war, provides vivid accounts of the
battles and campaigns in which he led armored forces. His
recounting of events is aided tremendously by the twenty
superb maps included in his book. He discusses strategy,
his decision-making process, the challenges of command,
and the human dimension of war. As with his World War I
discussion, he shares his opinions on various topics. I found
these pages absorbing.
Order in Chaos and Fighting the Cold War are two of the
best memoirs I have read. Both are superbly written, highly
detailed, and, together, provide brilliant perspectives and
background on the major wars waged from World War I
through the first Gulf War (sans the Korean War). Perhaps
equally as important, the memoirs provide readers an
opportunity to begin to develop an understanding and an
appreciation for two overlooked senior military leaders.
Perhaps their own words will provide the spark to encourage further study of Galvin and Balck.

Lt. Col Rick Baillergeon, U.S. Army, retired, is a faculty member in the Department of Army Tactics in the U.S.
Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
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