Here is an encompassing and insightful history of the distinguished 36th Division, which traces back to the 1870s and officially formed for World War I. In the Second World War, the 36th led the first contested Allied landing in Europe and gave the Fifth Army "the key" to Rome. Readers interested in early Texas and Western history, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the world wars, and the continuing debate over the best structure for the American military, will enjoy this exciting adventure story.

The 36th Division was formed in 1917, just after the United States entered World War I. The division's documented ancestors in the Texas National Guard, the Texas Volunteer Guard, and the Texas militia trace back to the 1870s. The tradition in which the 36th played so great a part even predates the 1836 defense of the Alamo.

This history explores the division's origins and also goes "over there" with the 36th for combat in World War I, chronicles the division in state National Guard service between the world wars, and witnesses its federalization in 1940, followed by combat training in 1940-1942 and combat action in Italy and France during the Second World War.