Gole, Henry G. 1933-
Gole, Henry G. 1933-
PERSONAL:
Born August 3, 1933, in New York, NY; son of Henry (a building superintendent) and Irene Catherine (a homemaker; maiden name, Finn) Gole; married Lidwina J. Vohwinkel (a librarian), January 20, 1957; children: Michael G. Education: Hofstra University, B.A., 1957, M.S., 1960; Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, M.A. (history, politics, and economics), 1958; Stanford University, M.A. (German history), 1969; attended Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, VA, 1973, and U.S. Army War College, 1982; Temple University, Ph.D., 1991.Politics:Independent. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, family activities.
ADDRESSES:
Home and office—36 Timber Rd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17050- 4505.
CAREER:
Writer. High school history teacher in Baldwin, NY, 1958-61; U.S. Army, career officer, 1961-88, served in Vietnam, worked at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, 1971-72, attaché in Germany, 197377, assistant professor at U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 1977-80, appointments at U.S. Army War College include strategic research analyst, 1980-84, director of international and West European studies, 1986-88, and occasional lecturer, beginning 1988, retiring as colonel. University of Maryland, adjunct faculty in Bonn, Germany, 1976; also taught at Dickinson College and Franklin and Marshall College; guest speaker at Vassar College, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Military Institute; public speaker on national security issues. Research fellow at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1985, and U.S. Army Center for Military History, 1989-90. Military service: U.S. Army, Infantry, 195254, served in Korean War.
MEMBER:
Special Operations Association, Special Forces Association, Society for Military History, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans.
WRITINGS:
The Road to Rainbow: Army Planning for Global War,1934- 1940, Naval Institute Press (Annapolis, MD), 2003.
Soldiering: Observations from Korea, Vietnam, and Safe Places, Potomac Books (Dulles, VA), 2005.
Contributor to books, including The Defense of the West: Strategic and European Security Issues Reappraised, edited by Robert Kennedy and John M. Weinstein, Westview Press (Boulder, CO), 1984. Contributor of articles and book reviews to periodicals such asKorea Studies, Parameters, Military Review, Naval War College Review, Army, and Marine Corps Gazette.
WORK IN PROGRESS:
A biography of General William E. DePuy; research on war literature and men in battle.
SIDELIGHTS:
Henry G. Gole told CA: "Writing is the most painful and gratifying process I know. When I think I got it right, the feeling of satisfaction erases the pains and doubts invested in the effort.
"I think I wanted to write from childhood. Good teachers guided me. My experiences as a combat soldier in two wars gave me subjects of universal interest: life and death, pressure, fear, honor, sacrifice. I ‘write what I know.’ I know soldiering. That provides a multitude of sub-themes.
"Once I've done the research, I write according to a very general outline, knowing that the various parts of the book or essay will be reordered more than once. Once it is all there, I rethink, rewrite, and reorder until I can say it's time to let go."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:
BOOKS
Gole, Henry G., Soldiering: Observations from Korea, Vietnam, and Safe Places, Potomac Books (Dulles, VA), 2005.
PERIODICALS
Air and Space Power Journal, winter, 2004, David R. Mets, review of The Road to Rainbow: Army Planning for Global War, 1934- 1940, p. 120.
Air Power History, winter, 2003, Curtis H. O'Sullivan, review of The Road to Rainbow, p. 58.
Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, January-March, 2004, Steven M. Bradley, review of The Road to Rainbow, p. 72.
Parameters, spring, 2004, Richard G. Trefry, review of The Road to Rainbow, p. 125.