Every Army Man Is with You

Nicolaus Mills is an historian, author, and journalist, and is a professor at Sarah Lawrence College.

Historian Mills, a professor at Sarah Lawrence College, traces the heroics of the Army players who triumphed in the 1964 game against Navy (piloted by future Hall of Fame MFL quarterback Roger Staubach) to the jungles of Vietnam with exceptional insight. The title of the book comes from a gung-ho telegram sent by former president Dwight Eisenhower to the Army football stars before their classic showdown with Navy, but their upset victory, their first in five years, pales in contrast to their exploits in their battles with the Vietcong. Although Mills writes with much respect and authority of the importance of the Army brass to the young athletes, he reserves some of his highest praise for the Army head coach Paul Dietzel and his fearless squad, including quarterback Rollie Stichweh, linebacker Sonny Stowers, tailback John Seymore, and tackle Bill Zadel, all of whom faced foreign conflict and postwar life with grit and determination. Mills includes insightful interviews of these Army athletes on the battlefield and on the gridion, honoring honor, courage and determination.

• PrefaceIntroduction: The Best Preparation for WarI. THE GENERALSChapter One: Ike’s TelegramChapter Two: Westmoreland and His CoachChapter Three: MacArthur’s FarewellII. PLAY BY PLAYChapter Four: First Score—Sonny StowersChapter Five: Ground Attack—John SeymourChapter Six: Touchdown Catch—Sam ChampiChapter Seven: The Blitzer—Peter BraunChapter Eight: Iron Man—Johnny JohnsonChapter Nine: The Long Completion—Rollie StichwehChapter Ten: Drive Stopper and Marine—Bill ZadelIII. AFTERMATHEpilogue: In the Wake of Vietnam