u/-Trooper5745-

You have had time to read and so now we will have a discussion on Military Advisors in Korea: KMAG in Peace and War by Major Robert Sawyer. This book was chosen for two reasons. The first is that I have an interest in military advising. The second is that I enjoy the Korean War. Both are subjects that I believe are overlooked in many regards when it comes to the study of military history. With those two reasons in mind, it just made sense to have this be a worthy contender for the r/WarCollege Reading Club.

**Questions**

1. In your own words, what was the book about?
2. Are there any lessons you can take away from the reading?
3. What were some of the common problems KMAG faced during their existence?
4. How was KMAG different at the end of the Korean War compared to before the Korean War?
5. Can KMAG receive any of the blame for the setbacks of the summer of 1950 and the winter of 1950-1951?
6. What does the book suggest about the relationship between training, equipping and institutional development?
7. Would you say KMAG was ultimately a success or failure?
8. What role did culture play, if any, in KMAG's job?
9. From your reading of the text, what traits would you say are important for making an effective advisor?
10. KMAG, and all other MAGs, were temporary organizations. Do you think that there would be any benefit(s) to having a permanent advising organization like what the U.S. Security Force Assistance Brigades were originally touted to be? Why or why not? *Note this question is talking about more conventional advising instead of the more specialized advising organizations like the Green Berets do.*

Additionally, if you have any recommendations one formatting the reading club, general questions you think should be asked in each reading club session, whether we should even continue this or if you think it is stupid, or anything else please add that to your comments below.

That is it for the Q2 r/WarCollege Reading Club. We will take a break until sometime after July. If this book interested you, I recommend The Will to Win: American Military Advisors in Korea, 1946-1953 by Bryan Gibby for a more readable and more up to date look at KMAG. Also, From Pusan to Panmunjom by Paik Sun Yup is a good look at the war from the Korean side where you can see KMAGs efforts.

Until next time.

Introductions

Hello everyone, and welcome to the second session of the r/WarCollege Reading Club. The purpose of the r/Warcollege Reading Club is to present books of topics relevant to the community, give anyone that wants to a chance to read them, and then a certain time later have a discussion on the book based around questions presented both when the book is announced and when the discussion post is posted. The time between when the book is presented and when the discussion will happen will vary from book to book to accommodate for length of the text, but we will announce when the discussion post will be so you will know ahead of time how long you have to finish the book.

Book of the Quarter - Military Advisors in Korea: KMAG in Peace and War by Major Robert Sawyer

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Link to text

Internet Archive Link

Amazon Purchase Link

Purchase Link

Questions

1. In your own words, what was the book about?
2. Are there any lessons you can take away from the reading?
3. What were some of the common problems KMAG faced during their existence?
4. How was KMAG different at the end of the Korean War compared to before the Korean War?
5. Can KMAG receive any of the blame for the setbacks of the summer of 1950 and the winter of 1950-1951?
6. What does the book suggest about the relationship between training, equipping and institutional development?
7. Would you say KMAG was ultimately a success or failure?
8. What role did culture play, if any, in KMAG's job?
9. From your reading of the text, what traits would you say are important for making an effective advisor?
10. KMAG, and all other MAGs, were temporary organizations. Do you think that there would be any benefit(s) to having a permanent advising organization like what the U.S. Security Force Assistance Brigades were originally touted to be? Why or why not? Note this question is talking about more conventional advising instead of the more specialized advising that organizations like the Green Berets do.

This text is 188 pages of text plus a little more for the preface, bibliography, and what not. As such, I would say that three weeks is enough time to read it. The discussion post for this will be posted at 0700 PST/1000 EST/1500 GMT on Monday, 11 May. Save all answers to the about reading questions until that time.

If you have any questions or clarifications, please do not hesitate to ask.