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I do have a personal reason about what you feel is an obsession. When I was just a boy my second cousin was a GI. One of those who enlisted and wasn't a draftee. He was assigned to the 8th Cav Regiment in the 1st Cav Div on occupation duty in japan. This fellow was a sort of recruiting poster soldier, bright, well motivated and to the degree he could prepare himself combat ready. He was also a genuinely nice fellow. I remember him spending a fair amount of one afternoon, when he was back in the states on the last leave he got to come stateside (that must have been late summer 1949) trying to teach me how to throw a curve ball. I remember eavesdropping on the ‘adults talking’ and my cousin describing how housed up US Army units in Japan were. Flabby, out of shape, corrupt NCO’s, careless officers and more emphasis on seeing that the Doolittle Board's findings be implemented than even training people to field strip and dry fire their weapons. Even a kid like me was impressed hearing that senior NCO’s that had been in the pre war US Army made derogatory remarks that even in the late 30’s soldiers might not have gotten in much range time but they at least had to disassemble and put their rifle back together within a fairly short time frame. The cav, of course , was one of the first three US division committed when the North Koreans invade the south in 1950. My cousin was one of those hundreds of 8th Cav soldiers who was killed in the ambush of that unit at Unsun in october 1950. His body was never recovered. Years later i read ‘This kind of War’ by Fehrenbach and understood what my cousin had been talking about. The pukes who are busy gutting today's army are setting it up for another experience like the summer of 1950. My granddaughter's fiance, another decent young man who wants to make something of himself, is trying to arrange a delayed enlistment and wants to go infantry/airborne, ranger and use that as a path to the SF. All i can tell him is to be forewarned and i have given him a copy of ‘This kind of war’ . Yes, i suppose i could be said to be obsessive on this topic.