Military Officer - September 2007 - (Page 28)

rapidfire In Review The Somme: Heroism and Horror in World War I By Martin Gilbert. Henry Holt, 2006. $27.50. ISBN 0-80508127-5. side. This was attrition warfare at its worst. Chief of Station, Congo: A Memoir of 1960-67 By Larry Devlin. Public Affairs, 2007. $26. ISBN 1-58648405-2. Resolutions for 2008 e know it’s only September, but MOAA staff already are hard at work on the January 2008 issue of Military Ofﬁcer — and we need your help. We plan to publish a selection of New Year’s resolutions for your consideration, but instead of asking doctors and ﬁnancial planners, we want to ask you. Pretend for a moment that New Year’s Eve — not Labor Day — is right around the corner, and think about your goals for 2008. What would you suggest if you could tell other folks what their resolutions ought to be? Submit resolutions no later than Oct. 1. E-mail them to editor@moaa.org or mail them to MOAA Resolutions-05, 201 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. W TRICAREUPDATE A TWO-YEAR TEST is allowing TRICARE beneficiaries who use TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy to substitute over-the-counter (OTC) versions of certain prescriptions without a copayment. For example, beneficiaries receiving a prescription proton pump inhibitor through mail order can ask their physicians to prescribe Prilosec OTC. Studies show there is no significant clinical difference between Prilosec OTC and its prescription-only counterparts. Beneficiaries already receiving the selected prescription proton pump inhibitors through mail order will receive a letter telling them about the new program when they order medications that qualify them to participate. For more information, visit www.tricare.osd.mil. 28 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2007 The Battle of the Somme, July-November 1916, was “one of the most costly battles in the history of warfare,” according to British historian Martin Gilbert. World War I was a slaughter, but the Somme epitomized savagery and horriﬁc bloodletting in a massive Allied failure to force a breakthrough on the western front. Gilbert tells of the preparations and battle action of the British, Commonwealth, French, and German soldiers who fought in the muddy cauldron where “dead men can advance no further.” He vividly describes the forlorn Allied frontal assault tactics against stout German troops and the valuable uses of aerial reconnaissance and interdiction bombing. More than 1 million men were casualties in this human meat grinder that saw little tactical or strategic gain for either Larry Devlin was a CIA spy — and is proud of it. Devlin was the CIA chief of station in the newly independent Congo from 1960-67 — a violently turbulent period when Africa emerged from colonialism into civil war and anarchy, and the Soviets, Chinese, Europeans, and Americans all maneuvered for Cold War political and economic inﬂuence in the Third World. Devlin’s memoir of those dangerous years is ﬁlled with insider intelligence perspectives and both funny and dramatic anecdotes of plots, personalities, and spy activities as the Americans and communists stumbled around in the bizarre new world of African politics. He explains schemes to neutralize Patrice Lumumba and support Joseph Mobutu and describes close calls with mutinous and unpredictable Congolese soldiers. — William D. Bushnell PHOTOS: LEFT, CORBIS; RIGHT, STEVE BARRETT http://www.tricare.osd.mil

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - September 2007

Military Officer - September 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Plan for Your Future At Home in a High-Rise Lone Star Living Common Ground Insert: Community Source Cover Story: Waging War on Disease More Than Beaches MOAA Scholarship Donors Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - September 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.