The Eyes of Orion: Five Tank Lieutenants in the Persian Gulf War (SIGNED. FIRST EDITION.) Hardcover - 1999

Kent, Ohio, and London: The Kent State University Press, 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Fine. 6x1x9. Illustrated . Inscribed by Author. SIGNED. FIRST EDITION, 1999. Inscribed "For Shelby | Best wishes, | Al Vernon | December 1999" on the title page. Includes forward written by Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey. Hardcover. Bound in black publisher's cloth and flecked tan paper. Covers are plain with silver foil lettering on the spine. Illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and diagrams in black and white. Five chapters contain: 1) Operation Desert Shield, Part 1; 2) Desert Shield, Part 2; 3) Desert Storm: The Air War; 4) Desert Storm, The Ground War; and 5) After the Storm: Redeployment and Reflections. Also includes appendices, notes and a bibliography. Indexed. xxiv, 330 pp. Illustrated dust jacket. Overall near fine. Textblock shows very mild toning around the edges, else fine. Completely unmarked except for author's inscription. A beautiful, gift-worthy copy. Full refund if not satisfied. <br><br>FROM THE DUST JACKET: "The Eyes of Orion is a highly personal account of the day-to-day experiences of five platoon leaders who served in the same tank battalion in the 24th Infantry Division during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In August 1990 they deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield with one of the first armored units to arrive after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. In Desert Storm, these lieutenants led thier platoons in the 24th Division's maneuver around Kuwait to cut off retreating Iraqi forces. This maneuver covered more ground in less time than any other in military history.