About Face

This is one of those rare books I have read where I was sad when it ended, I enjoyed it so much. All the other reviewers will tell you about Hackworth being the most decorated soldier serving at the time of his discharge etc etc. However, what gives this book the creditability it needs is the way he rejected the accolades the US army clearly had planned for him (a Generalship and associated prestige) and spoke out very critically against the establishment and its conduct of the Vietnam War.

At the time this was big news and the establishment turned on him quite viciously and for me this gives his words real weight and the book is better for it. It was published in the late 1980s so some of the comments about equipment are a bit dated but when you consider the US has again been caught short by a guerrilla war it failed to predict with equipment not suited (armoured vehicles anyone) it seems the problems he wrote about still exist.

Hackworth called it "going along to get along" or not rocking the boat so as to ensure promotion and towing the party line. One might argue his comments about this add more credence to his work as it seems to still exist in the Pentagon. Think of the contemporary General Shinseki who was effectively sacked for predicting before the invasion that the US would need more troops in Iraq and you can see this malaise exists still. I'm not arguing Hack was a sort of military Nostradamus but this book stands the test of time even though it is now 20 years or so old. So, read, enjoy but place it in the context of modern times and realize that some things don't change.

The best military autobiography I've ever read. (5/5 people found this helpful)

David Hackworth joined the US army as a private in 1946, fought his way up through the ranks and retired as a full Colonel in 1971. In those 25 years he served in Trieste, Italy, Korea (where he was battlefield-commissioned), California, Germany and Vietnam. In the process he became one of America's most-decorated soldiers. He stood poised to become a general at the time of his sudden retirement from the army, and ended up fleeing to Australia. Why?

This epic book tells the story both of Hackworth's growth as a leader (and warrior) and of his gradual disillusionment with the US Army as the warriors were pushed aside by politically-adept officers. As an enslisted man, NCO and junior officer Hackworth describes his heroes - as he rises in rank he begins to realise that the US Army is increasingly dominated by "ticket punchers" more interested in their careers than in saving the lives of their troops.

Hackworth's disillusionment with the leadership of the US Army, and the failure to "Vietnamise" the Vietnam War led him to realise that the war was unjustifiable and, given then-current American tactics, unwinnable. A television interview in 1971 drives him into near-exile in Australia...

This vast book starts off as a straightforward tale of military life in the post-War army; moves into a harrowing description of the Korean war (where Hackworth formed his first guerrilla-like unit, the Wolfhound Raiders), describes his cold-War service (in particular his unit's dash across East Germany when the Berlin Wall was erected and their adventures there), and spends much of its considerable length following Hackworth's career in Vietnam as both combat leader and adviser.

Hackworth's book vividly describes the savagery of combat, the camaraderie of soldiers, and the futility of "unjust" wars.

Inspiring and Educational, yet Worrying (5/5 people found this helpful)

Two main themes came out of "About Face" for me. The first is that it is an excellent "how-to" manual on practical leadership in the military. All of the lessons pounded into me as an Officer Cadet are shown here. Know you soldiers, care for them, lead by example, don't get them to do what you wouldn't..., the list goes on. In my opinion, this book, or at least large parts of it, should be required reading in every Officer training establishment that seeks to produce real commanders. As I read it, lights came on in my head as I began to understand some of the points I had missed in my training as a cadet. I believe it has been of some benefit to my performance as an Army Officer. For any cadets or junior officers out there, read this book.

The second theme is the way in which he describes an Army sinking into the morass so common of militaries in peacetime. The most worrying thing for me was the parallels I could see happening in my own Army. An easing of standards in recruitment and basic training, decisions being made based on politics and finance, rather than on realities, increasing bureaucratisation and micromanagement, etc, etc, etc. Things seem to be the same all over. Unfortunately, neither Col Hackworth nor I can give any easy answers.

Simply superb. (2/2 people found this helpful)

This book is a "must read" for anyone who is interested in the military. The author tells an excellent story about his experiences and of those around him, but also reveals the hypocrisy of the brass in the Army and how it caused the trench warfare in Korea and the no win attitude in Vietnam.

Patton wouldn't have made it in today's army (3/3 people found this helpful)

Hackworth's hard earned lessons in leadership should be read by all students of the warrior profession. Sadly, the book rings true--many of the higher officers in the US Army are not warriors, but merely politicians with a uniform. In order to make it, one has to keep quiet and not make waves. This is the reason we lost Vietnam: our military leadership lacked the moral courage to do what they knew was right. Hackworth is a great warrior and his calls for military reform is what got him and other great leaders drummed out of the army.

HACKWORTH

Reader Reviews:

Moving, deeply moving (0/0 people found this helpful)

The best military autobiography I've ever read. (5/5 people found this helpful)

Inspiring and Educational, yet Worrying (5/5 people found this helpful)

Simply superb. (2/2 people found this helpful)

Patton wouldn't have made it in today's army (3/3 people found this helpful)

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