The 9th Infantry Division was formed in a new and unique way in 1966. Traditionally, soldiers attended basic training on one Army post, Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at another, then reported to their units to begin serving with soldiers they had never met. The 9th was different. Recruits reported directly to the units they would serve in combat with. They received their basic and AIT under the leaders who would take them into combat in Vietnam. The book begins with training on the plains of Fort Riley, Kansas, then follows the battalion across the Pacific on the USS John Pope. It...