About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior | Colonel David H. Hackworth, Julie Sherman

About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior | Colonel David H. Hackworth, Julie Sherman | As a soldier, Hack is my hero

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About Face: The Od...

	About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior Colonel David H. Hackworth, Julie Sherman Touchstone, 1990 - 875 pages average customer review:based on 75 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Real American Hero

If you like books about war, then this may become one of your favorites. Don't expect a flowery tale of heroism though. Col. Hackworth is not telling this tale to build his own legend. His interest is in telling the truth and in preserving the memory of Korea and Vietnam, two wars that many people don't know much about. Although he eventually became a full Colonel, Hackworth began his career as an enlisted man, and his book often looks at war from the view of a man on the ground. Overall, this book is an enthralling read, and it has about it that feeling of truth that separates it from many other war books I have read.

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As a soldier, Hack is my hero

Hack told it like it is. We had a batallion commander like him a couple of years ago. If you read the Book "Heavy Metal" Then you would know who it is. In this book hack always had the soldiers by his side. Something officers in todays army dont have. He always knew how to work the system for the benefit of his men. Something today few officers or nco's are willing to do. As a soldier this is my leadership handbook. If civilians want to know how the army works today read this book. Eventhough this book is based on the 50', 60' and 70's I still find officers and nco's today doing what they did 30 to 40 years ago. Once you read this book your outlook on the Army will change. RIP Hack!

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Another Hero has entered Valhalla

The Good Colonel just passed on to the Big O Club in the Sky today. None the less he has left a great legacy in this book. To call it one hell of a story would be an understatement of the 1st degree. It is a classic story of a poor hard scrabble kid who goes out and finds himself a home in the US Army. Hack was really one of the lucky ones who found a place where he could really excel. I found myself actually feeling sorry for the Enemy and some of his idiotic Superior Commanders. He must of been a hand full is all that I can say.

A true hero

This book spans Hackworth's career in the Army from Post WW2 and the Korean War, to Vietnam. One of the most decorated soldiers ever to walk the face of the earth, Hackworth's career in the Army is just about unparalled. Throughout this mammouth book, one always senses that Col. Hackworth loved and always cared for his men. Even as a Colonel, Hackworth was out there in the jungles of Vietnam sweating it out, just like a grunt. Colonel Hackworth could have become a General, but he became so disillusioned by the top brass that after 25 years of service decided to call it quits. This man is and was an American Hero, who died this year due to complications from exposure to Agent Orange.

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One of the Greatest Solider in US history

This was a Great Book. I read this book, then right after read Steel my Soldiers Hearts. Not only do you get a since of the futility that Was the Vietnam War, you also realise that it was practically a Conspiracy for failure.

This book should make people shape up and stop with the charade game claiming that the Vietnam War was a Victory for the US. Some Revisionist Historian's in the Pentagon and elswhere have tried to save face and argue Vietnam was a "Tactical" or "Decisive" victory. The reality of the situation, as the late Col articulated so well was that we lost badly. You have probably heard the "we won all the battles, but lost the war."

Nothing could be further from the truth. There were Many battles America won under Commanders who used proper tactics-- soldiers like Col. Hack and Gen. Hank Emerson among others. The majority of battles were failures. We may have killed more Vietcong, but in a war of attrition against insurgents who are in it for the long hual, the misuse of tactics by american commanders lead to our defeat. Too many people in the High echelon of command and planning the war tryed to apply WW2/Korea land objective and tactical control based measurements for victory. Most of this could not be superimposed in the jungles and deltas of Vietnam. The misuse of soldiers by deploying them in Batllion sized engagments lead to horrible waste of life.

In reflection, this is a MUST read for anyone who doesn't think there is a comparison between Iraq and Vietnam. 37 years ago we had Macnamara giving reports on how many Vietcong we had killed and how we were winning the War. The truth was the body count numbers were inflated because with "zero defect" army, there could never be admission of failure or less than perfect news. This all lead to glowing After action reports that got embellished more with every level of command, to the point of outright Lies.

Hackworth having been on the ground, seeing that you needed to "out G the G" and use guerilla tactics against the vietcong, coupled with great firepower of the US to maxmize punishment on the enemy, while minimizing freindly casulaties. Alass, this fell on deaf ears. It was almost as if Hack was screaming in the wind.

If the army just had a Few more SGT. Prazenka's, COL. Johns, Hackworth's and Emerson's, tens of thousands of men and possibly hundreds of thousands of vietnamese would still be alive today.

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