About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior

Description

Called “everything a twentieth century war memoir could possibly be” by The New York Times, this national bestseller by Colonel David H. Hackworth presents a vivid and powerful portrait of a life of patriotism. From age fifteen to forty David Hackworth devoted himself to the US Army and fast became a living legend. In 1971, however, he appeared on television to decry the doomed war effort in Vietnam. With About Face, he has written what many Vietnam veterans have called the most important book of their generation. From Korea to Berlin, from the Cuban missile crisis to Vietnam, Hackworth’s story is that of an exemplary patriot, played out against the backdrop of the changing fortunes of America and the American military. It is also a stunning indictment of the Pentagon’s fundamental misunderstanding of the Vietnam conflict and of the bureaucracy of self-interest that fueled the war. About the Author Colonel David H. Hackworth served in the military for twenty-five years and received 110 medals for his service. He is the author of About Face, Hazardous Duty, The Price of Honor, and Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts. He died in 2005. Table of Contents Maps Authors' Note I 1 6 February 1951 2 Brown Shoes 3 Hit and Run 4 The Wolfhounds 5 By the Direction of the President 6 The Only Game in Town 7 Hill 400 8 They Don't Have Cobwebs in Korea 9 Don't Look Back 10 Black Shoes 11 This Ain't the Army, Mr. Jones 12 The Vanguards II 13 Screaming Eagles 14 Tim's Traveling Trouble 15 The Year of the Horse 16 Box Seat 17 Corporate Headquarters 18 Death Row 19 Hardcore 20 Born to Lose 21 A Law Unto Himself 22 "Issues and Answers" 23 A Handful of Ashes Epilogue Appendix Notes Glossary Index