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About face
First published 1989 · 912 pages
A blistering, boots-on-the-ground memoir that strips the romanticism from modern warfare to expose the raw, bleeding heart of the infantry.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in a smoky bunker with a legendary, battle-scarred commander who has finally decided to tell you the unvarnished truth. It is a propulsive, heavy-hitting experience that drags you through the mud, blood, and bureaucratic betrayals of Korea and Vietnam. The prose is blunt and conversational, devoid of academic polish but rich with the visceral, profane reality of the frontline. As the narrative marches forward, the initial rush of patriotic zeal slowly curdles into a profound, righteous anger at institutional rot and the senseless waste of young lives. It is an intense, deeply immersive read that will grip anyone who wants their military history stripped of myth and delivered with uncompromising, gritty honesty.
- Mood
- tense
- chaotic
- disillusioned
- intense
- gritty
- Tone
- blunt
- cynical
- passionate
- uncompromising
- authoritative
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- frontline leadership · institutional rot · the warrior ethos · loss of idealism · the gap between brass and grunts
- The writing
- Unvarnished, hard-hitting, and conversational, reading like a late-night debriefing from a seasoned, no-bullshit commander.
- The arc
- Moves from fiery, idealistic patriotism and combat zeal to deep, bitter disillusionment with military bureaucracy.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave unfiltered, boots-on-the-ground military history and unsparing critiques of institutional failure.
Content notes
- graphic war violence
- death of comrades
- profanity
- military trauma
About the book
A startling look at the US Army from a infantry leaders level from Korea through Vietnam. Hackworth was one of the highest decorated soldiers in the army and doesn't hold back on what was wrong with the system.
Description from Open Library.
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