Samuel Lyman Atwood (S. L. A.) Marshall (1900–1977), widely known as “SLAM,” was a journalist, self-proclaimed military historian, and military analyst who observed and reported on the actions of soldiers in battle in five separate conflicts (World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Sinai Conflict of 1956). He authored 29 publications, pioneered the afteraction combat interview to analyze the behavior of soldiers in combat, and introduced the controversial notion of a “ratio of fire” into the professional and popular lexicon. SLAM had a major impact on helping soldiers and others obtain a better understanding of what actually occurred in small units engaged in combat.

Born in Catskill, New York, in 1900, Marshall spent time in Colorado and California before settling in El Paso, Texas, ...