Hackworth

SA John

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Any Viet vets here ever meet Colonel David Hackworth? Read several of his books. Interesting guy.
 
One of the best military books I've ever read is his biography: About Face. Takes you from 1947 to the 1980s. Hackwork flustered some higher-ups but he really was a soldier's soldier. He got tagged as a commie simp and a queer and alot of other things by people who were afraid of him. I think he was heroic. If you can find this book, pick it up.
 
I thought his books were good. I have nothing but respect for his military career, but I do have an issue with the fact that he became disgruntled with the US and moved to Australia and then bitched about the US from there. He did end up moving back... and one back he did great things for our military and our Armed Forces members.
 
I met Col Hackworth several years back at a book signing in Worcester. We had a great conversation. I've read all his books and believe him to be an unheard innovator of modern day tactics. We spoke of the backwardsness of Army teachings reference the almost exclusive WW2 tactics taught at the Command and General Staff College back when I attended in the early 80's. Had the Army incorporated his thinking, I believe many less than 58K plus names would adorn The Wall.

He was a bit of a rebel and considered persona non grata amongst the highest of Army brass. As it turns out, his tactics and teachings were appropriate to jungle warfare whereas the Army's methods during Vietnam were questionably (although not to me) bassackwards.

I believe he might have been one of the last soldiers' soldier.
 
I'm a great admirer of Col. Hackworth. If you want to read the story of another unsung hero who bucked the establishment and forever changed military thinking, read:

Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

An excellent story. A tragic life. Find out how his fight with the Pentagon establishment gave rise to the F-16, and how his theories of war-fighting came into play in the Iraq invasion. He was an Air Force fighter pilot they called the "Ghetto Colonel". And it was a Marine Corps contingent that showed up for his burial. An amazing biography.

For students of military history, this is worth the read.
 
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