About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior

I read this book to find out more of the history of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Actually, it turned out to be a well-written self-promotion book about Hackworth himself. I saw the author on TV, but as I read it I could only picture Oliver North. Hackworth proves he is a common man and a high school drop out by using a lot of written profanity.

He later attended West Point after proving himself in battle as an enlisted man. One learns lots of Army acronyms, and that the author considers Neil Sheehan to be a "commie". There's also lots of hype about how an officer should respect and bond with his underlings...stuff we all know. It was interesting to learn that he was personally acquainted with Col. Vann, the subject of Sheehan's tome, and it was also interesting to know that Ridgeway was a very good General, following MacArthur's dismissal.

I read as much as I wanted to, but never quite finished this book, having bought a few better ones from the store.

I originally bought this book when it was first published over 25 years ago, and I am glad I finally made time to read it. This is a big, thick book, but it is consistently interesting and well-written, and provides the reader an insider's view of the evolution of the U.S. Army in the years 1946-71, including a ringside seat to the action in such hot spots as Korea, Berlin, and Vietnam. Col. David H. Hackworth's name has become synonymous with both valor (as probably the most decorated active-duty U.S. soldier at the time of his retirement at age 40) and controversy, due to a career-long proclivity to speak his mind which culminated in a June 1971 ABC network interview from the field in Vietnam where he criticized the U.S. military's tactics in fighting the Vietnam War. But "About Face" is in no way either a simple narrative of combat exploits or an anti-war screed. It is rather a heartfelt and intelligently written memoir of a man who loved the U.S. Army and leading soldiers in both peace and combat, and whose cumulative military experience led him to very clear ideas about how the wars in Korea and Vietnam should have been fought, and how the command hierarchy of the U.S. military should have been structured and led.
More than anything, "About Face"'s 800+ pages are a colorful account of life in the U.S. Army in the years 1946 to 1971. Hackworth, an orphan being raised by his grandmother in Santa Monica, CA, lied about his age and joined the Army at age 15. He was first deployed to Trieste, Italy, as part of the occupying Allied forces there. In Trieste, "TRUST" (Trieste United States Troops) faced Tito's communist forces across the border in Yugoslavia, and here Hackworth learned soldiering from the cadre of WWII battle-experienced non-commissioned officers in TRUST. Hackworth loved everything about being a soldier, from the drill, to the camaraderie, to the occasional flare-up of hostilities across the international border.
Eager to experience combat for himself (and having been somewhat snidely given the nickname "Combat" for his zeal to get into battle), Hackworth volunteered for service in Korea. Fighting in Korea in 1951 and again in 1953, Hackworth experienced first the hugely fluid battlefield as U.N. forces pushed the North Koreans to the Chinese border and then were themselves pushed back when Mao's Chinese forces entered the war, and then the stalemate trench warfare of the war's last year when Cold War political calculations preempted military moves. Hackworth is critical of the strategy of this latter stage of the Korean War, as well of an intervening year of officer's training at Fort Benning, GA, in 1952, in which he learned that his classroom lessons had little relevance to battlefield conditions he experienced in Korea. Though he was wounded several times leading an elite raiding unit in Korea and gained a battlefield commission to end the war as a captain, his frustration with the Army's tactics led Hackworth to quit the miltary for two years.
Finding selling insurance as a civilian boring, Hackworth rejoins the Army and ends up commanding a home-front anti-aircraft artillery unit in Manhattan Beach, CA. Here Hackworth continues to enjoy molding sometimes reluctant draftees into efficient soldiers, while criticizing Eisenhower's policy of starving the regular U.S. Army of resources in favor of the Air Force and nuclear assets.
Deployed to Germany in the early 1960s, Hackworth finds himself at the spear's tip facing Eastern Bloc forces in Berlin in 1961 as the Berlin Wall is constructed. In Germany Hackworth experiences senior commanders of both excellence and ineptitude, as well as weapons of such questionable merit as the M56 self-propelled 90mm "Scorpion" anti-tank gun with questionable handling characteristics and no real armor protection for the four-man crew, and the "Davy Crockett" tactical nuclear recoilless gun which threw a small nuclear warhead to a maximum range of 2.5 miles, with questionable effects on the friendly forces firing the weapon.
Returning to the U.S. to join the 101st Airborne, Hackworth seeks to serve in the growing U.S. engagement in Vietnam, only to be told in 1964 that he has "too much" combat experience. With Lyndon Johnson's ensuing Vietnam escalation, Hackworth is granted a combat command there in 1965. On this first tour Hackworth finds that the hard-charging combat tactics of the 101st are ill-suited to fighting the Viet Cong, who wait to engage U.S. troops at very close range and from well-fortified, dug-in postions. The 101st soldiers thus find themselves charging into well-planned ambushes at such close proximity that U.S. artillery support risks hitting friendly forces. And when not actively fighting, the Viet Cong continue to exact a small but steady toll of U.S. casualties from mines and every manner of booby trap.
Responding to this battlefield reality, Hackworth successfully develops small-unit tactics to "out guerrilla the guerrilla" by studying enemy activity in his theater and laying his own ambushes against the Viet Cong, as well as employing sniper teams and other field innovations.
After a stint stateside at the Pentagon and Fort Lewis in which he realizes much of the officer corps are more concerned with career-advancement than winning the war in Vietnam, and that many of the worst-performing combat commanders are being given top postings in the Army leadership, Hackworth returns to Vietnam to command a field unit in the Mekong Delta. He again molds a sloppy unit into an effective fighting force, but decides finally to speak-out when he realizes that the Army Command continues to delude itself about the true ineffectiveness of its military efforts in Vietnam while U.S. boys (and several of Hackworth's longtime Army officer-buddies) continue to be killed to no good end.
Col. David Hackworth admits that his only true love in life was the U.S. Army. "About Face" is the story of all the joy and sadness, glory and ugliness of that life-long love affair.

I was hesistant to start this book because I’d just finished a 900 pager and this is right up there too. However, I was not at all disappointed and did not get fatigued at all reading right through the whole book.

I’m into history and especially military history. I’ve read biographies of generals and various wars, but this book certainly stands out. This book occupied my thoughts even when I wasn’t reading it. I would be hard-pressed to think of another book I reflected on so much.

Oddly, I first heard of David Hackworth on the Rachel Maddow show. I don’t remember the context now of why he was featured, but her description of his life caught my attention and I googled him and found this book.

I’m 32 so all this was before my time. I also never served in the armed forces. Despite this, I found this book incredible.

The book is huge but don’t let that stop you from reading it. The first part of the book is more battle-oriented, being that he was a young buck in Korea. The second part of the book has action, but not in the descriptive way of his time in Korea. That’s not to say that the second part is dull either.

Overall, it’s a hell of a book. Read it. In these trying times, we could use more Americans like David Hackworth.

It is almost 20 years to the day since I first read this book as a cadet at RMC Duntroon, and it is difficult for me to think of any other single book that influenced how I viewed my profession as much as 'About Face'. Not only were Hackworth's descriptions of small-unit combat and command vivid and gripping, but his views on what leaders should do, how they should set their priorities and train and lead those under their command - not to mention the consequences when the basics were not addressed - were if anything more resonant and memorable. Hackworth was an advocate and champion of the 'soldiers soldier' focused on the basics of small-unit leadership and development by personal example, and his account of how the 'big army' institutional biases of the post-WW2 US Army deviated from this ideal and encouraged short term careerist and 'zero fault' mentalities that caused so much pain and anguish in Vietnam was not only convincing, but also painted a picture that I am sure I have seen reflected at times in my own army since.

With the benefit of hindsight it is possible to identify a few limitations in 'About Face' that the reader should consider - Hackworth's views are obviously highly coloured by personal experience, and the further away he gets from his personal experience and area of expertise (which is really small unit training, leadership and tactics) his observations become a bit less valuable, which is apparent towards the end of the book. His obvious disenchantment (with pretty good reason) with the US Army translates into an apparent inability to recognise in his epilogue that the world and the US Army had moved on a bit from 1970 (his criticisms of the Abrams and Bradley, for example, don't look particularly even-handed from this distance) and that perhaps the US was not automatically doomed to repeat the failures of tactical method and strategic thinking in Vietnam. More insidious, perhaps, was his insistence that during his command of the 4/39 Infantry (a remarkable story in itself) he had hit upon the answer to winning a COIN Campaign through building infantry units with better tactical performance and subsequent 'kill ratios' - which, combined with his fulsome praise of Australian tactical performance in Vietnam (oh, so seductive to this Australian's ears - and a conceit that has stood in the way of some essential self-examination the Australian army needs as well) tended to obscure the point that tactical performance notwithstanding, his (understandably) frustrating and unrewarding service as an advisor to the South Vietnamese may have been closer to the real answer.

This is still an immensely important and influential book for any aspiring commander (from Lance Corporal to Lieutenant General) to read and reflect upon - I would almost go as far as to say that if you were only going to read one book ever about battlefield leadership and the institutional values an Army should have, I would be hard pressed to recommend another book to read instead. (I would still rather you read a lot more, though.)

Admittedly, I don't read a lot of books on leadership, but there seem to be a ton of how - to books, but this guy's experience and how he lived what he preached is priceless. Too many valuable insights to mention. I found it very helpful to me for my own development as well as how to address some moral and performance issues with my team in an office environment. Excellent read. interesting person. Actionable ideas.

After selling over one million copies of "About Face", who among us can truly judge the depth of this man's impact on our military and on our society? Possessed of a warrior's DNA, this fighter walked away from the Army frustrated and disillusioned about our conduct in the Vietnam War. Make no mistake, he must have seen something very real and very disturbing for him to do an "About Face" and resign.

The book establishes David H. Hackworth's bona fides early on with a description of his early life and military career. A man committed to excellence and the well being of his troops, he came to confront the blind face of upper echelon command in Vietnam and it wore him down and drove him out.

Americans don't like to repeatedly hear all that went wrong in Vietnam. It's uncomfortable and embarrassing. But "Hack" had to bring out the truth as he saw it because for him, it was about protecting his troops. He claims to have written "About Face" for fellow warriors, past, present and future. Based on his subsequent behavior of covering numerous wars as a correspondent after he left the Army, and listening to his decidedly "pro-grunt" viewpoints, I cannot dispute his assertion.

Students of military history and leaders in business and the military would do well to consider the failures, issues and ideas put forth in this book. Rest in peace, Colonel, and thank you for your insight!

John E. Nevola
Author of The Last Jump - A Novel of World War II

When the nation's most highly decorated soldier speaks up, everyone should listen. Those serving in the military of all ranks and especially the policy makers who put our young men and women at risk.

Hackworth served from 1945-1971. The title is due to his change of heart from being a gung-ho, hard charging soldier who did not question the Army, to one who became disallusioned and dared to speak out. No institution, corporate or government, likes criticism. Hackworth showed his bravery not only in battle, but having the courage to speak out and challenge the status-quo.

This is a fanstastic read - well written, humourous, touching, sad, moving "Hack" captures all of the emotions and sacrifices a soldier makes during a career and the isolation he endures when he turned against the military and spoke out.

An excellent narrative about an interesting man in interesting times. His advice should be heeded by all who want to be true leaders - those who are willing to lead by example, listen to the troops and do what is right no matter the cost. We could use a lot more David Hackworths in all walks of life.

The first time I read this book was while in the army. My platoon had been passing this around as "required" reading while on a long field operation. It was a great read then and is still a great read. The story of Hack's service is amazing. Every NCO and Officer should be required to read it and re-read it until they really understand why it is important.

Hack was not only a superb soldier and leader of men, he was also a talented journalist who was adept at flushing out the feather merchants and perfumed princes in the army. I've read About Face several times, the first, when I was a young second lieutenant know nothing serving in Germany. Hack gave me my first break in journalism, with the invitation in his typical style, "open fire." About Face is a great story, not only of Hack's adventure through the ranks in Korea and Vietnam, but also the story of the US Army in mid 20th Century and its ordeal under fire. Godspeed Hack. I'll see you in Fiddler's Green. I'll buy. I owe you one, or two, or three.

THIS BOOK IS BY FAR THE BEST MILITARY BOOK I'VE EVER READ IN YEARS. AND I THOUGHT TOM CLANCY WAS THE BEST! I GOT A HOLD OF THIS BOOK AT MY COLLEGE LIBRARY DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR IN 1996. FROM THE MOMENT I READ THE FIRST WORDS, I KNEW I WAS MESMERIZED. I READ THIS BOOK OUT OF MY PERSONAL INTEREST ABOUT THIS CONTROVERSIAL OUTSPOKEN COLONEL.

THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS: AN ORPHANED 15-YEAR OLD BOY LIED TO ENLIST IN THE ARMY, AND WENT ON TO BECOME THE MOST LEGENDARY AND CONTROVERSIAL WARRIOR. HE SERVED WITH DISTINCTION UNDER GEN. JOHN M. MICHAELIS AS A WOLFHOUND RAIDER LEADER IN KOREA. HE WAS BATTLE-COMMISSIONED AT A TENDER AGE OF 20, AND BECOMES THE YOUNGEST CAPTAIN AT 22. HE WON 2 DSCs, 7 SILVER STARS, 9 BRONZE STARS AND 2 DFCs, 8 PURPLE HEARTS AND MANY OTHER DECORATIONS DURING HIS SERVICE IN THE KOREAN AND VIETNAMESE THEATER COMBINED. WHILE HE INITIALLY FOUND HOME IN THE "OLD ARMY," HE FOUND HIMSELF INCREASINGLY DISILLUSIONED WITH THE ZERO-DEFECT,"TICKET PUNCHING" MENTALITY OF THE "NEW ARMY" CREATED BY A WEST-POINT GENERAL MAXWELL TAYLOR AND HIS PROTEGES.

THE VIETNAM WAR BECAME THE CLIMAX OF HIS DISSILUSSIONMENT WITH THE "NEW ARMY" AS HE GOT A CHANCE TO LOOK INSIDE THE DEPT. OF ARMY, THE FLEDGLING TRAINING SYSTEM, SELF-SERVING TYPES LIKE IRA HUNT AND MANY OTHERS LIKE HIM. AS AN ADVISER TO THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE PARATROOPERS, HE PRESSURED THEM TO PERFORM, BUT TO NO AVAIL. BY 1971, HE WAS THE YOUNGEST COLONEL IN THE US ARMY, AND CONSIDERED A FOUR-STAR MATERIAL. BUT ALL THESE GLORY MOUNTED TO NOTHING. HE WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT HIS MEN WHO WERE BEING SHOT AT THAN HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING A FOUR-STAR GENERAL. THUS, HE FINALLY SUMMONED HIS COURAGE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH AT THE EXPENSE OF HIS CAREER,ONLY FIND THE ARMY ATTEMPTING TO CLAM HIM UP.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL TOO TRITE, IF THE STORY ENED OTHERWISE; IF HE WAS TO WRITE THE MEMOIR AS GENERAL DAVID H. HACKWORTH, USA RET., RATHER THAN COLONEL DAVID H. HACKWORTH. BUT THAT IT ENDS WITH IT A SAD CONCLUSION, MAKES IT ALL THE MORE BELIEVABLE. UNLIKE ANY THING I'VE EVER READ, THIS IS A BOOK I FIND HARD TO PUT DOWN. IT'S TOO SAD THAT HE DID NOT GO ALL THE WAY TO MAKE THE NECESSARY DENT, BUT THE COLONEL DOESN'T THINK SO. I LIKE TO SEE HIM MAKE MORE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM TO THIS GREAT ARMY.

And a lover of the Army. The combat heroics recounted here, told with a fair amount of modesty, would be rejected by Marvel Comics, because even SGT Rock wasn't this good. (Hack is said to have inspired the COL Kilgore character in "Apocalypse Now.")Lying about his age to join at 15, Hack joined because he loved soldiers and wanted to pick up chicks. Along the way, he learned soldiering from pros like Steve Prezenka, the noncon-turned-officer who showed him how it was done, Old Army style, in a backwater posting on the Yugoslav border. Hack learned well. In Korea, he was battlefield commissioned at age 18, and started collecting the first of his record 123 medals, including 2 DSCs, 8 Silver Stars, and 8 Purple Hearts. More impressive than the mere retelling of battlefield heroics, however, is his commentary on what was going wrong with his Army. Having learned from Old Army noncoms about duty, honor and country, Hack became progressively alienated from Army leadership, which was filled with careerists, who valued their retirements, perks, and future defense contractor contacts more than they did the lives of the grunts who did the fighting and dying. Hack's uncanny ability to sniff out danger and opportunity, which led GEN Abrahms to call him the finest combat officer since Patton, coupled with the mentoring of some of the few real warriors to make rank, like COL Glover Johns and GEN Hank, "THe Gunfighter" Emerson, saved a career that his outspokenness (and GI tastes in entertainment) saved a career that would otherwise have been snuffed out. Hack's call for an Army trained, led, and dedicated to winning, and then only when America needs to fight, is an eloquent perscription for reform in the Armed Forces, and one hell of a good story. -Lloyd A. Conway

Maybe the best memoir of the U.S. Army ever written. Col. Hackworth was one of the Army's greatest heroes( should have received the MOH, but didn't, because he'd pissed too many high-ranking Brass ). This book details the Army's ever-evolving strategic vision, and the effect they had on military effectiveness. Should be required reading not only for West Pointers and ROTC cadets, but for all commissioned officers as well as Congress.

[Sadly for all of us, Col David Hackworth died shortly after I wrote this review. Nothing about him or my review of his works needs revision. Hack - we will miss you! Hack - RIP, Mike H, LTC, MI, USA 1970-1996].

Say what you want about Hackworth - you can't deny him his valor or experiences in the Army. "Hack" continues to thrive on controversy - one who is not afraid to stir the pot. This book was his first view on the public stage after his Vietnam exit from the Army.

As a young officer - I first read this book in the career stage of my commission - as a Major - and came away with mixed feelings about his views and attitudes. Hackworth's Vietnam experience - like that of John Kerry's, was a defining point of his life. Both came away from that service determined to change the way government uses the military. Kerry became an anti-military cynic; Hackworth lashed out at the systems' waste and stupidity - in an attempt to make the system better.

During war, Hack would be a leader one would wish to serve under. In peacetime - like so many other warriors - he'd be a disaster in the mindless training environment of a peacetime army. Like a fire extinguisher - keep under glass until an emergency demands his use.

The book is deliberately written to stir controversy. This IS Hackworth and what he is all about. Step on a few important toes to save good soldiers - this IS and always was his intent. When he drifts to politics - watch out! He has no friends in either political party.

If you have never served - and are thinking of signing up - maybe this will give you pause. If the world awaits you as a grand adventure - do what he did - and wear the uniform proudly for a majority of your adult life. At the least - Hackworth made me stop and think along the way. My latter years in uniform were constant battles against mind numbing stupidity and for care and protection of our countries' most valuable assets - the men and women who served under my leadership. I have learned much from this soldier. Buy and read the book. You will come away a changed person.

This book contains some of the best first-person accounts of combat from the Korean War and the Vietnam War that I have read anywhere. Col. Hackworth, who was America's most decorated living soldier until his death in 2005, also explains in the book what went wrong with the U.S. military establishment after the Vietnam War and offers suggestions for how to reform it, many of which were profitably implented years later. ABOUT FACE is colorful, easy to read, inspiring and presents valuable insights into the nature of war and the human character. Recommended for adults and secondary school students with an interest in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

This is a very good book for anyone who is interested enough in the military and its shortcomings to commit the time it takes to get through this very long effort. The Vietnam portions were much better than the rest of the book.
As much as I liked much of the book, I was turned off by Hackworth's massive ego. His attitude seems to be that he knows so much more than anyone else that whatever he does is justified and anyone who disagrees with him is stupid, or a coward. For example:
1. His leaking information to journalists in Vietnam about Cambodia; 2. His showboating a risky troop march back to camp when his men didn't get the first wave of helicopters and the best heroes' welcome there; 3. And ultimately his "Issues and Answers" rant against the army while still an officer,
all seemed to me to be examples of poor judgment, or even much worse, by a guy so in love with his own opinion that there was never room for any reflection.
So, I don't love Hackworth as much as he does (even though I greatly admire his abilities as a warrior and a charismatic troop leader), but what does that have to do with a book review? Just this: his ego led to this book being longer than it should have been to be a great book and he never had room for any other views, which might have been interesting. Still, a lot of it is very good reading. I think I just liked the book better than I liked the author.

I read this book when it was first published -- coincidentally, a few years before I retired from the Army. I read it cover to cover, in two or three sittings, the door to my office in West Point's Thayer Hall closed so I wouldn't be disturbed.

I've thought a lot about it in the years since. As a two-tour veteran of Viet Nam who put this uniforms in the closet after Desert Storm, I found countless lessons and insights; the story of his rebuilding of a dispirited, ineffective infantry battalion in Viet Nam, for example, is a classic of thoughtful leadership, a hard campaign fought against bad habits and weak leadership. Viet Nam was my war; Hack told the story well.

But lately I've thought more about the longer term lessons learned. In particular, I recall Hack's evocation of a particularly sad moment in the Army's history, when the efforts to reduce the force after Korea led to a particularly brutal culling out of the officer ranks. Many reserves on active duty with less than 18 years' service -- there were many then -- were given the choice of eviction without pension or arbitrary reduction to enlisted grade for the rest of their service. My family was military, and I remember this sad time (I was in the seventh grade).

Quite beyond the humiliation of many fine, decorated soldiers -- service record meant nothing in this exercise, it was just a numbers game -- it resulted in an entrenched cynicism in the survivors. Their Army had slaughtered its own morale, and it was during the Presidency of Ike, one of the Army's own. The result was a generation of officers without a sense of loyalty to the Army (because the Army was not loyal to itself). Many of the destructive habits Hack cites solidified during this time, and those officers were commanding battalins, brigades, and divisions in Viet Nam.

Lesson: the Army in war time is inescapably the Army formed in the period of peace that precedes it. If "God is forgotten and the soldier slighted" the result in war is inevitably affected.

Hack was not awarded pariah status after ABOUT FACE. There was a huge crowd at the Fort Myer chapel when we said goodbye to an American soldier, a man whose great heart was finally broken by the failure of the one great love that gave him life and hope.

The bitter irony is that when you compare "About Face" to Hackworth's later works, he is devoid of solutions; only geopolitical whining and cynicism. What happened to the Hackworth who wrote the masterpiece "Guerrilla Battalion" for U.S. Army Infantry magazine in the early 1970s?
The point of Hackworth in "About Face" is not to just criticize, but to make things better. The Hack of today in sftt.org and his later books is devoid of the constructive criticism ending in constructive actions we can take today. Try writing him today with a problem/solution and you will be hard pressed to get him or his staff to pay attention to it, they are more excited about bashing the "Clintonistas" or the "Purple Princes" than solving Soldier-level technotactical problems and this is sad. I love the Hack of the 1950s, 60s and 70s who was an innovator and problem solver in the Army Airborne and with the 9th ID in Vietnam. He needs to read his own book and return to this perspective and stop letting bitterness over how his career was wronged by Army politics make him advocate desperate returns to the allegedly "good ole days" panaceas and outfits he's never served in that are even more vain and hide-bound as a means to trash the Army which is rooted in the Citizen-Soldiery of America. He is alive, isn't he? There are 100,000+ DEAD Americans who never made the rank of Colonel still left behind or who died in Southeast Asia who never got to come home ALIVE and write a best-selling book. Be thankful for that.
The Army is only as good as the American people themselves are; trying to build a warrior class apart from these people and these values will only result in military failure from arrogance and inflexibility created by false comradery. The hard-drinking Army that Hack loves is who failed him in Korea by not spending time studying war and dominating the debate so we didn't buy into such silliness as atomic weapons dropped from planes keeping North Koreans and North Vietnamese from gobbling up their neighbors. Longing for loud-mouths who yell and scream and not think and innovate in anticipation of the next war will not meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Hack who wrote for Infantry magazine in the 70s and led men with creativity in Vietnam is who we need today, can we find him?

I believe this book to be the most important book to come out of the Vietnam War because it destroys the myth that we won the war on the battlefield only to lose it to a bunch of drug crazed hippies on main street. This book describes the lack of a strategy, tactics and the rampant careerism that lost the war in Vietnam. It is still relevant today as we fight our current wars on terrorism. I think all junior officers and NCO's in the Army and USMC should read this book. It is the cliff notes to being an Infantry officer in the Army or USMC.

This is an incredible book. I was a fan of Hackworth's when he was still around. I found him through his news reports and essays, then read his books. I felt like a missed out not finding him sooner. He was a real soldier's soldier. He cared a lot about the troops, even long after he left the service, and it shows in his writing. If you're interested in a great story, read this book. If you want to know what it was like to serve from WWII-Vietnam, read this book. If you want to see the problems of the peacetime army, at least according to one man, read this book. If you want to see one man's disillusion with the Vietnam war, read this book. Hackworth's other books are also worth reading. It's sad that he died so soon; he had so much to say. I'm thankful for his printed legacy in the form of several books and years of essays. I think we could use a few more Hackworths in this day and age.

If you're a soldier, I think you ought to read this book as part of your professional development. If you're a historian or military fan, I also think you ought to read this book.

Ten years ago I first read this book and was literally knocked for a loop. I immediately read Neil Sheehan's A BRIGHT SHINING LIE afterward and felt exhausted. Not because these books were written at a breakneck pace, but that the truth was being spoken to me about one of the most controversial and cathartic pieces of our American 20th Century - and no one in the media or politics seemed to care. Hack's and Sheehan's books were both best-sellers, but has anyone in the media read and understood them? Are we still afraid to hurt the feelings of some of the men whose actions, conceits and flawed thinking resulted in over 58,000 American deaths and several hundreds of thousand of Vietnamese deaths? The truth will set you free....
I can only hope that both of these books make it as course material requirements at our nation's military academies and colleges...along with William Corson's BETRAYAL and H.R. McMaster's DERELICTION OF DUTY.
My most sincere sympathies go out to the Corson family on Bill's passing....Semper Fidelis sir....

Thankfully Hackworth left us with this story of his life, primarily in the US Military. We struggle to accept the dichotomy of his courage and effectiveness, presented without spin. It is the absence of spin that makes us most uncomfortable in that we still cling to the belief that the process of killing in war can be made civilized. Hack of course compounds this with his nocturnal adventures. Others are offended by his willingness to offend so much of what senior military officers hold dear.

We are fortunate to have these mavericks in the military - Hackworth, Boyd, Moore and so many others who compromised their careers to do the right thing for their services and their country. They are not the only answer but a much needed voice in a democracy.

One of the best military memoires ever written. Darned shame it isn't available on the Kindle. A fascinating read, and a marvelous history of the evolution of the US Army from the end of World War II through to the end of the Vietnam War. Anyone who served in the Army in the period after Vietnam and before Afghanistan/Iraq can easily see how the lineages and tactics influenced the Army of the pre-Middle East era. I left the Army in 2005 before the massive changes in unit structure and the addition of new systems/technologies used today, so I can't speak to how resonant this book is with today's soldiers. So far as I know, there has not been a book yet of the Afghan/Iraq era that compares in breadth, scope, and sheer story telling as this one.

A juvenile delinquent, Hackworth, flees from his confinement and joins the Merchant Marine. Later, he pays off a wino to sign a fraudulent affidavit, as Hackworth's "father" (he was an orphan), that allows him to enter the Army at the age of fifteen. This is the beginning of this book, which ends with this man, now a Colonel, venting condemnation of America's tactics in Vietnam in the press, and his subsequent persecution by Army investigators, in a harrowing, white-knuckle ending.
A man is lucky to find his calling, and Hackworth was born to be a warrior. In a way, this book is an inspiration. It makes one want to be as good in one's profession as Hackworth was in his. And no matter what one's occupation is, one can identify with Hackworth's frustration with and anger at the "perfumed princes" who rose to the top in the Army he knew, and whos' equivalents exist in every field of endeavor. Don't you know people who don't give a grape-skin about the higher goals of their profession, and who live only to feed their ambition? Reading this book is like sitting down and listening to somebody who knows the score.

Colonel David Hackworth has written an autobiography that is just absolutely fabulous. He is America's most decorated living soldier and was the youngest full Colonel in Vietnam. While serving in Vietnam he had possibly the only sector that the viet cong could not move at will in. In 1971 he broke the cardinal rule and went on national TV, as a Colonel, and said we could not win the war if we kept fighting the same way. He was completely disguted at the progress of the war and the leadership. He left the army and moved to Austraila where he still lives today and is an outspoken critic of US military forces.
This book is his story. From his childhood, through his lying about his age and fighting in Korea, the peacetime army, the war in Vietnam and beyond. This is a must read book for anyone who is interested about the US military, US history or the Vietnan War.
Buy this book and prepare to stand in awe of one of the greatest warriors in the history of military forces. Hear his story and ponder his opinions. It is well worth it.

This is one of those books I keep reading, time and again. The writing style is engrossing and addictive and you will find yourself drawn into his life, clearly drawn along a detailed backdrop of the cold war.

I first picked this book up as a young US soldier serving in Germany and it opened my eyes up to a lot of the good and bad in the Army. I completely recommend it to any soldier of any rank to read and learn from Hack's mistakes and glories. I later read it again as a college student studying history and again (and again and again) as a teacher.

In my opinion, this is the best of his books and it goes beyond "just" a war memoire. The pain, hurt, love, betrayal and so many other feelings come out in the book and the passion is what makes it addictive. The attention to detail and the "big picture" is clear as well.

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.

Although I never served a day in the military, it would have been an honor to simply meet this man. This is a phenomenal book that needs to be included in the syllabus at West Point and Annapolis. It's as if a whistleblower wrote a tell-all about what was wrong during a very turbulent time in our country's history. I leave it to those who served and those who experienced what Hackworth experienced to judge the accuracy and veracity of this book, but I was mighty impressed by what I was reading.

This is a story of a soldier in an army in decline, a lost war and a premature end of a magnificaint career. It is also the most motivating war story that I've ever read. It is the story of a man with barely a 7th grade education who joins the army at 15 years old and earns a battlefield commission in Korea and in Vietnam becomes the only soldier to be awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars and three times nominated for the Medal of Honor (which he did not recieve) and became the youngest Colonel in Vietnam. The book is a cry for military reform and it is also a war story. Hackworth tells of the desparate fights on nameless hills in Korea in a fasion that makes you wish that you were there, not an easy task, with the Korean War. When a lackluster soldier is killed Hackworth is proud that he died well and makes him a hero to the unit. He never seems to feel fear-"I guess I just like war...I like the cameradship. Adversity brings out the best in men"- Hackworth told Ward Just in the book "Military Men." In Vietnam Hack often took hopeless situations and turned them into victory. In a way his resignation was a victory, this self educated soldier stood up to a buracatic army that was losing a war while others went along. This is the most motivating book that I've ever read, so much so that I retured to active duty after reading it, insisting on infantry. David Hackworth may have been "Once An Eagle" but he was no colonel Kurtz-as the hardback dusk cover suggested. Hackworth died in 2005 from cancer, the only fight that he ever lost.

After reading COL Hackworth's book, I was inspired beyond measure. I found an abandoned copy of "About Face" at my alma mater. after only a chapter or two, I could not believe my fortune in having it. When I discovered that he had a second book, "Steel my Soldier's Hearts", I checked it out from the Fort Bragg library and it was amazing as well. Hackworth has a wonderful ability to cut through the fog of war, and also to help the reader get past all the bulls*** from our side and propaganda from the enemy and really see what the ussues were (then and now), and he also teaches wonderful lessons on leadership, tactics, and objective-based strategy without being patronizing or aloof. Hackworth became my hero after reading this book.

Lt. Colonel David Hackworth has truly EARNED the right to be critical of his government and the American military establishment. He fought in two unpopular foreign wars, won the highest military honors, and became so disillusioned that he became an expatriot for many years. How lucky we are that he is back. This book is part a recounting of his war experiences, and part an indictment of the modern United States military in which careerism and politics have destroyed effective leadership. Were Hackworth not an accomplished product of the system, his critique would not carry nearly as much weight. This is a vital book for both veterans and non-veterans alike and a wake up call for us not to get too complacent with our security.

I really am not fond of military autobiographies, although I read a lot of them. That being said, I must say I enjoyed this one. Col. Hackworth's career is fascinating. Being a career military person myself, I could certainly relate to much he said. On the other hand, he was rather heavy handed with his ego thing. I doubt if he and I could ever be "buds" but we would, admittedly, be in better shape had we had more officers like him over the past 40 years. The writing is clear, enjoyable and informative. We get a very good historical overview of semi-recent military history and some wonderful "war stories" thrown in. All in all I have to recommend this one (I must admit to have read it twice). A very interesting life.

Long winded!

McNamara's Folly was to the point and exposed the evil of the Vietnam War.
This is what we need to know:
VIETNAM SLAUGHTER:

*nearly four million Vietnamese killed.
*more bombs dropped on Vietnam than by all sides in all previous wars throughout history, and three times more dropped than by all sides in the Second World War.
*19,000,000 gallons of herbicide poisoned the land.
*9,000 of 15,000 hamlets destroyed in the South of Vietnam.
*In the North, all six industrial cities devastated; 28 of 30 provincial towns and 96 of 116 district towns leveled by bombing.
*The United States threatened to use nuclear weapons thirteen times. Nixon chided Kissinger for being too squeamish about this. Nixon said he, himself, just didn’t give a damn.
*After the war, unexploded bombs and mines permeated the landscape and took an additional 42,000 lives. Millions of acres of land have still not been cleared of live ordnance.
*Agent Orange and other defoliants have caused severe health problems for millions of Vietnamese.
*Nearly all of Vietnam’s triple canopy forests were destroyed.
*3,000,000 tons of ordnance struck 100,000 sites during the “secret” war in Cambodia, causing widespread social dislocation, destruction of crops, and starvation. The U.S. bombing campaign in Cambodia was directly responsible for the rise of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot and the genocide that took place afterward (The United States actually sided with Pol Pot when Vietnamese troops finally ended his reign of terror).

Colonel David H. Hackworth, retired, has lived a thousand lives, but none more compelling than the one he details in ABOUT FACE.
I first met Hack in Cao Lanh in 1972, four years after returning from my first trip to Vietnam. He was a caring leader who looked after his men equally, regardless of rank, position, or service.
Hackworth knows how, and has the courage, to TELL THE TRUTH! Even when the truth hurts. That's what makes ABOUT FACE such a pleasure to read. You know that what you are getting is a reliable account of the man, the war, the politicians, the generals, the sergeants, the enemy, the policy, the critics and the price of war, not only for the grunts, like Hackworth, who sacrificed their blood on the battlefield, but also for those who did not serve.
ABOUT FACE has perspective, because the man who wrote it has a lot of experience. And, a lot of character. The ground combat scenes will capture your imagination. The non-combat kinds of things that war zones tolerate will make you laugh. The discussions about how to fight a war will make you think - for a long time. The political patter amoung the top brass and our elected officials about the efficacy of the war, will make you want to puke.
Even though ABOUT FACE was written many years ago, it is timeless. It provides a reliable compass for anyone wary of what's happening today in the Balkens. ABOUT FACE will make you want to know why wars are fought and why, if they are, there's lots of senseless killing of innocent people, and mountains of destruction of their homes and their way of life.
As a matter of fact, it's so good, I'm going to read it again. Thanks Hack!

The man is amazing. Yet there have been many like him that have gone without recognition. Don't take that as a negative in anyway. Hackworth represents what is good in the military. I trust guys like him far more than I would ever trust Generals and Admirals who dance with the politicians on a daily basis. Give me the guy from the trenches anyday to cut through the BS and tell how it is and how it was. "Issues and Answers" and the events following shows exactly how political the military is. The truth hurts. Trust Hackworth's assessment? You bet.
Suggested reading: Hackworth's "Hazardous Duty"

Colonel David Hackworth was a soldier's soldier. Born too late to see active service in the crucible of WW II, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army as soon as he could. Often credited as being the most decorated American soldier of his era, Hack was well-known within the U.S. Army for his courage, honesty, and derring-do exploits.

Hack ranks right up their with the U.S. Marine's Chesty Puller and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington as the sort of officer who is a pain in the a** to have around in peacetime -- but who is exactly the sort of leader you want when the bullets start to fly. It is impossible to read about Hackworth's battlefield experiences during the Korean War without getting a lump in your throat for the privations those poor guys suffered. (Many U.S. Army units were airlifted from the States via Japan directly into combat in Korea, still wearing their Class 'A' uniforms -- totally unprepared for the Korean winters and the raging fighting they found upon landing.)

Col. Hackworth's Vietnam experiences are fascinating, too. As he rose in rank he displayed an uncanny ability to call a spade a spade, and his dismay with how the war was being fought eventually led to his being personally cashiered out of the Army by the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army!

Buy this book and read it -- you're in for a real treat! Hack was the real thing, and his demonstrated courage and abrasive honesty make him worthy of study and appreciation by both junior and senior officers throughout the armed services.

Captain Michael L. Pandzik, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)

Excellent book. Well written, easily read, thought provoking. Is long, but not cumbersome.
I first read 'About Face' written by Col. David Hackworth during the late 1980s. I found it extremely valuable in helping me...a woman with little knowledge of anything military, understand better my children's dad, a land based Viet Nam combat vet and the problems he had to deal with before his death.
As the wife of yet a second Viet Nam combat vet, special forces, I suggest this book for anyone who wants a better understanding of the debt of gratitude and respect we citizens owe those willing to serve in The United States Military.
Reviewed by: molly martin

Cononel Hackworth is a legendary warrior whose feats of valor are spellbinding, but most importantly this book is a gift from God to any commander. As a former Army Reserve Brigade commader I used this book as the Bible for Senior NCO and officer monthly training. If you command or lead-read it one time for pleasure then read it again and underline the training ideas. Share it with your warriors. This book may be the most significant military book of the last part of the 20th Century. In the future it may be as important as Rommel's infantry tactics book was to the first half of the century.

This isn't a mere bio, it's a walk thru Dave Hackworth's life...minefields (physical and mental). He seemingly holds back nothing. Parts drag...post war duty in Germany...but that's Army life. It's not as on the edge as his recollections of combat, but that's the way it was.

His writings on Korea alone make this a must read.

But it keeps going, giving you his evolving perspective on what was and wasn't happening in Vietnam. He calls a spade a spade.

There is a little overlap (not much), but I would read this first, then Steel My Soldier's Hearts. Then, look at his webpage and Soldiers for the Truth. He's squarely on the side of the dogface soldier for whom few speak for fear of their career. If I could chose the man to lead my Sons into war, it would be Hack.

Mr. Hackworth, like so many before him, learned and through his book has tried to teach the most valuable lessons a military member can possess; LEADERSHIP and ORGANIZATIONAL REALITY. The Army is like an alcoholic trying to teach his/her child no to drink; all the while holding a beer in his/her hand. Many lessons for life can be found reading this work. The politicians are unfortunately finding their way into every sector of our lives and in Hackworth's account, this unfortunate reality has only resulted in the deaths and ruin of many fine soldiers. I commend both the book and the man; a must read for anyone interested in joining or learning about the military.

Having just finished reading ABOUT FACE, I cannot overstate how impressed I am with Col. Hackworth's ability to describe the world of a professional soldier. His detail is at times a little too much (a lot of names,unit numbers,etc.), but his description of life in the ARMY and of his experiences in war are brutally on target. Also, I've found his views on the Vietnam War to be the easiest to understand, and the most accurate from what we now know. His hatred of those who chose "ticket punching" over true leadership, anger me as I write this. I would like to commend Col. Hackworth on a great book, and thank him for his service to America.

One of the best books I have read and like so many others have stated a book about leadership that will change how you view the military. Many may not agree with some of Hacks views but like so many of Americas great military minds ignoring their advice has proven perilous to this nations future and the failings of the politically correct who are too afraid to speak the truth.
Hack is a leader in the mold of Patton , two men who were far ahead of everyone in their predictions and wouldn't be silenced.
A must read for anyone interested in leadership and how difficult that can be at times when you speak the truth regardless how it will affect your career.

This is the tale of America's most decorated living hero. From his humble beginnings to his glorious career in the U. S. Army. A man destined to be one of the elite movers and shakers in the military. He became disillusioned with America's war effort in Vietnam and the "ticket-punching" pursuits of the manager-officers. He gave up his career and moved into self-imposed exile. This story is a must read for those interested in the development of the U. S. Army since WWII. It's a real wake-up call

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.

I first came to hear of ABOUT FACE from a friend and fellow NCO in Korea. He said I might think it was good, Was that an understatement. I read About Face in one fourteen hour plane ride back to Korea. I've read it three more times so far and recommend it to all my friends deserving the title Non-Commisioned Officer. I truly believe that all military leaders should read this and take from it; Hack's wisdom and experiance dealing with the military, Integrity and soldiering.

I first heard of Colonel Hackworth when I was a cadet at the United States Coast Guard Academy, where he came and gave a guest lecture during my sophomore year. After hearing him talk, I had to go out and get his book.
"About Face" is, quite simply, the best book I've ever read...again and again. Colonel Hackworth's no-nonsense approach to leadership is tried-and-true, and what makes each point hit home is that he has learned everything through real life experience. The stories that he tells in this book are not just entertaining. They tell a lot about the life of a soldier; they tell a lot about a military hierarchy and how it should work (as opposed to how it works now); they tell us what really happened in Vietnam and how the U.S. Government "black balled" Colonel Hackworth in order to quell public disatisfaction with the war in Vietnam. He doesn't just make this book a bitch session....he offers his expert opinion as a soldier and a leader about how to correct what is happening to our fighting forces. He offers comparisons to leaders of the past and insight into the leaders of the future...and the future of our military leaders looks bleak.
Lastly, this book isn't just about being a military leader and telling war stories. This book is a must read for anybody that is in charge of anything or anyone. Many of the points he makes in his book apply "across the board". Being a leader is a skill as well as a science. Learn from the best, because "those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it".

For those of you people who have read this, and more specifically the guys I went to Marmion Military Academy with; I never really understood who Walter Schroeder was (Good ol' Steady Schroeder- as Hack refers to him) until I read this book. Mother, Fathers, if your kids are thinking about ROTC scholarships or joining the military in any way at all you need to read this book and then make them read it before they sign on the line that is dotted!
Raise your glasses to Colonel David Hackworth!
Thank you, Sir.

Hack was my friend and a great American. His combat leadership led him to become the second highest decorated serviceman, second only to General Doughlas McArthur, who had a longer military career than Hack. If you want to read the finest book on combat, Army Life, and life,this is it. All true Ameicans should share his story. Rest in Peace,Hack Maybe some of you young Americans can get on board to save this country as us old guys just fade away......Hack and I love this nation.

Hack died from Agent Orange has had 75% of those serving in Viet Nam. Vist OVMP com.for tribute to only the best.

Hack rests in Arlington.

13 Oct '14

Every serving warrior must read this book. Many of the "new" ills plaguing today's military were there in the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s. For anyone who has served in the military, this book will strike at your heart with brutal honesty and familiarity. For anyone who hasn't served in the military, this book will give you invaluable insight into the lives of soldiers. Hack is a legend among warriors--past and present.

Hackworth has produced a well written and provocative book concerning his time in the USA Army beginning with his enlistment at the end of WWII. His thoughts on the Vietnam War and the Army's command structure and bureaucracy created a lasting impression with me. Obviously he writes from his own perspective, but many of his ideas are worth discussing and giving more thought. A great book about one person's Vietnam experience.

The best lessons are often passed on through stories. Laying the foundation for your point in a good story provides a solid base for understanding and comprehension. Col. Hackworth has got a whole lot of stories, and no end of lessons.
About Face remains entertaining through the colorful recollection of "Hack's" sometimes humorous, sometimes humbling, and often horrorific life. In the midst of these life stories, he takes the time to offer the lesson the he has learned - but only realized and fully understood with the experience of years. The book is full of good analyses of men: good men, what makes them respected, and not-so-good men, and why their faults outweigh their good charateristics. Throughout the book, I found myself comparing my own style and personality to that of these men - and wondering where Col. Hackworth would place his assessment of me, in the midst of the men he's encountered.

I'm not certain what all the 5 Star Hoopla is about on this book by David Hackworth. Hackworth is no doubt a brave man and also one very lucky and very decorated soldier who has been around combat a bit. But, I see nothing extraordinary in this book. And I'm not a college kid or an intellectual, I'm just another veteran who served his country.
He is only telling people what they should already know and should have seen all along if they were paying attention at all. Why is it such a great revelation that training and readiness was expedited and cut short to achieve quick goals and conquests in combat? Couldn't anyone tell or notice the huge numbers of men being drafted and quickly sent overseas to be targets, shipped home in boxes, or mutilated while getting their first real on the job combat training?
What was done by the brass and the powers to be should not surprise anyone and Hackworth just happened to be a member before he saw the light and got religion. I have nothing personal against Hackworth but I don't consider him to be an authority either, but more an old soldier dealing with a cluttered past. All these facts were there all the time for anyone willing to listen to reason and the truth long before this book was written and published.
This book is a rehashing of old news and if it is anything maybe it will be a reminder for the future...but memories can be very short as we have seen by the recent misuse and underfunding the training of our military by politicians in recent years. Some lessons are just never learned until after it's too late. Officers do what they are told by their superiors and lead in battle. That's what officers are trained to do, not disobey or argue with the chain of command.
It will take more than Hackworth and this book to change attitudes at the Pentagon and with all those others not paying attention in Congress, but I guess it's a start. We can only hope there will be no more repeats of mistakes of the past as in Somalia in 1993. May they rest in peace and God bless them.

I had the honor of meeting Col. Hackworth while stationed at Ft. Bragg - his 'men first, mission always' philosophy coupled with a deep conviction of integrity, love of country and brutal honestly is inspiring - his leadership style is one that is truly lacking by our politicians today - most of whom have never served - underscores part of the problem. R.I.P. Colonel Hackworth you are missed.

Everyone's seen images of dope-smoking troopers trudging around in the mud of Vietnam. You shake your head and just say "What a bunch of misfits. Glad I wasn't there."
How does the professional leadership of an army allow morale to collapse like this? All the while knowing that the result of poor discipline and low morale is widespread death and misery.
Many (most?) American military leaders would rather not have anyone read this book. Many (most?) American politicians, like their constituents, couldn't care less about the message of this book.
This book is a warning. But you'll probably ignore the warning. Because it's human nature to take the easiest path, and to learn the most important lessons the hard way. Well, the author of this book already learned the hard way. Why don't we care enough to listen?

Col. Hackworth book should be read by all potinal enlisties. I am a combat Inf man rifle squad leader 32Div. 127inf. WW2. My war was the same as he explained. The officers were over us because they had a college ed. they only were trying to advance themselves, Our mission was to take 2 days we didn't secure the Villa Verde trail on Luzon in 6 months of fighting. We cheered when we heard the news that Roosevelt died. We thought somthing might change then and it did. I somtimes think I am the only surviving combat soldier who new the truth about war. I'm glad Hackworth could explain what really goes on in the Military. I'm 70% disablied earned the DSC, 2BS,2PH and the other ribbins, I say this because I go to the VA hospital in Loma Linda CA all the time for med care and if young men could 1st know the truth about what they are going to face when they join the military establishment then there disicion on joining is there's. Henry E. Brooks 78 years old, was going to take "the slow boat two china".

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.

At first, one is impressed with Hackworth. That persists. But then, as this overly long autobiography progresses, you begin to sense that he is spinning the story a bit, shading things to make his case look a bit stronger.
Hackworth downplays the sloppiness of his command in Vietnam,and emphasizes his moral courage in taking an anti-war stance. Perhaps this is true, but it reads as a self-serving gloss.
The story he tells is by turns fascinating and too long. His interest in his own partying and sometimes dopey opinions on the world is emphasized to the deteriment of his story. Instead of a man with something to tell, a story, we also have a man with something to say, a political viewpoint that is tendentious, boring, and somewhat disingenuous.
But if you turn to his discussion of his service in Italy, and his Korean War service, you see the grit and intelligence of the man, what made him a good soldier.
So, if you can skim the parts where Hackworth spouts off, and read his story, you will be reading the tale of one of America's greatest warriors. The rest is uninteresting. It is true that men and women who have suffered for their nation have a right to have their opinions heard. But, given that their views range from Hackworth to Senator Bob Kerrey. and from erudite to crude, it is not always true that their opinions have merit. With Hackworth, that is too often the case, although he is a great warrior and has a real story to tell.

This is a great book and if you are in the military is a must read! If you are in combat, it is a must read and a must reference book that should be taken with you into your theatre of operations. Colonel Hackworth has done it all and he's done it right! Learn at the hands of the Master. If you want to stay alive and learn useable tactics and start to think strategy, this is the book!!!

Excellent wartime memoirs. Not only do we get good "war stories" but we get them from the prespective of a rather respected individual. The book is well written, moves well and makes some wonderful observations. I must admit to enjoying the first three fourths of the book better than the last where Col. Hackworth gets just a bit whinny in chewing over old bones and (justifiable) complaints about the army/politics of the late
Vietnam era. It is a shame we did not have more individuals in leadership positions of Col. Hackworth's abilities when we needed them. Hey Col. Let's have more "how it was" and a little less "where on the road to ruin and hell now and......." We get enough of that stuff from that little whimp Ollie. All in all I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

This was one of the best books I ever read after my enlistment as an Infantryman. Hack, God rest his soul, helped me realize that I can be a Conservative and patriot while exposing the truth for the sake of truth.

A extremely moving story of a man that fought his way through two wars. It reveals the huge problems that beset the United states army in the post world war two era. It also reveals the main reason for American failure in Veitnam, a must read for anyone interested in history

I have read many different books over the years and this would have to be one of the best around. If a young officer needs to expand his horizons then this is the book to do it. The soldier who comes through the ranks, does the business when called for and is wasted in the peace BS that is in all militaries around the world.
Is this the best book I have read....yes.
Once you have finished this book I recommend "Goodbye to all that" by Robert Graves. The man who wrote "I Claudius" was a line officer on western front for 4 years. This follows a close second to "About Face".
Barry Morrison

Fix the military academies and ramp up the quality of ROTC grads. Make this book the bible of academic and leadership training for officer candidates so we can no longer say, "The most dangerous thing in the world is a second LT with a compass."

About Face is an odessey to read. Like battle itself, it is full of pages of sheer terror separated by long passages of nervous boredom as Hackworth sought to find some identity apart from battle. The Army made him a man, and as long as there were wars to fight he honored "his mother" the military with an almost unbelieveable string of courageous achievements in battle. But when the time to kill was over, Hackworth lost himself, as he more or less admits. He candidly admits not only his many adultries but his fundamental inability to honor his wife and children. He admits constant theft, and tolerated any immorality that would help his unit. Through two thirds of the book you want to enlist to be a stud like Hack. In the last pages you want to slap him in the face for betraying the Army. He was a law unto himself (as the title to the penultimate chapter confesses), both as a maverick in the Pentagon or as the quasi-warlord of a fire base in Vietnam. Many, including Hack, have suggested that he was the model of Colonel Kurtz in Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Whether or not this is true, the comparison is chillingly apt, only Hackworth may be more frightening. Hackworth was genuinely patriotic, undeniably courageous and damn effective in killing Chinese in Korea and Vietcong. But this same warrior spirit refused to bow to any moral principal except his own concept of loyalty to and conern for his troops. "The horror, horror." He saw clearly that guerrilla warfare required a guerilla-style response from the Army (a lesson of continuing significance in modern political battles like Afganistan), and he clearly understood the political nature of the Vietnam War. But the moral relativism of his "platoon-as-tribe" principles could not be extended to a wider audience precisely because they were unprincipled. Hackworth's tactical advice is still needed, and his war stories are as good as they get. But he unwittingly embodies the horror and paradox of the modern warrior: To serve the highest principles of man, such as freedom and justice, while destroying men, and perhaps himself, in the process.

I have read this book at least 10 times. Its a great book to read about Col. David Hackworth, a warrior and one that has learned a lot in his life. Out of all the books that he has written, this is the best of the lot and contains a lot of his experiences. Everytime I want to have a good read I would pick up this book and it just draws you in. So if you are after a good Korean and Vietnam history through his own eyes, this is the book for you.

My father Lt Col John Westmoreland was mentioned many times through out this book . He and Hack were friends and fellow Warriors in both Korea and Vietnam . Unfortunately my father died soon after leaving the military service. I've always enjoyed reading Hacks books and watched him on a regular basis when he appeared as a correspondent on CNN. Good writing by the Colonel

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.

This book was an inspirational read. Even though it takes forever to read this book, it's well worth the time. Hack's experiences shared in this book changed my outlook on life, and my outlook on human interaction/organization.

I would recommend this book to anyone, as I'm sure his experience can be applicable to anything you will ever have to deal with in life.

"About face" is THE most amazing story I have ever read. The impact it has had on me and the way I think is unexplainable. There are so many themes running through this story. I watched as the scales fell from Hackworth's eyes and felt his confusion and sorrow as he tried to make sense of it. The physical courage and personal integrity of Hackworth and some of his colleagues is an inspiration. He is also a man who is not afraid to mention his weaknesses and his failures which makes him a more reliable witness in my view.

If you are an American, you have to read this book. Two things this book left me with......(1) we as citizens have No Right to critisize those who serve our Country; we are in no way qualified to even suggest an opinion. (2) Col. Hackworth LIVED his life and what a life.
As the wife of a Vietnam Veteran I wish David Hackworth Peace and Comfort during this part of his life as an American Citizen.
Thank You for your service.

I read About Face several years ago now. It is a long read and you will find yourself emursed in the life of this man we come to know as Hack. I emailed this man several times and he always responded back. He has sinced died and America has lost a son. This book is the best read ever if you have a patriotic bone in you don't miss it.

RJS

Where to start...I guess I will preface this by saying that this is MY opinion. I'm not presenting this as fact. I feel the title of the book should have been, "Hack, omnipotent and omniscient."

When I saw this book, I was stoked. Hack. In reading many of the LRRP books, all of them consistently said how great a CO he was. I found out, however, what he thought about his own troops. 1. No references stating he was in the LRRPs and 2. he quotes in the book, "The LRRPSs all right--self-proclaimed super fighters but in reality just badly led (by Hack) phonies who couldn't hack it in the field..." And he claims throughout the book all that he did was for the benefit of the soldiers.

His book was just 800+ pages of whining, not much different than what a PVT does. He sees something he perceives as being wrong and he complains about it to everyone, generals included. When his observation/solution is shot down, he either skirts around it, sulks about it, or has a fit. This is repeated over and over and over and over again. Ultimately he's is so disgruntled that he goes to the media, a Col. in the US Army. Pathetic, he didn't get his way.

His "following of rules..." Created a sauna staffed with prostitutes, in the field; turned a blind eye to troops doing dope; had a "clean" soldier give his urine to a "dirty" troop so he could pass the piss test. Many, many instances like this.

Lastly, it seems all of his commands start off with him acquiring a scum bag unit, just awful. But with the wave of his hand and a few months work, the troops become hard charging, desplined, die for their country, killers. Funny a pot smoking (only once per Hack) Col. has that ability.

Buy it, read it, get ill over it. It is too bad he passed away because he should have been pressed on the accuracy of his comments. I do feel a great deal (not all) are lies. I don't understand how people sees this guy as a hero...

David Hackworth brings together feelings and comaderie into this incredibly shocking book of war. It gives a side of history that is not told in classroom textbook. I felt like I was fighting in this battle with heads being blown away. You will understand how the government function in war after you read this.

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.

As a former infantry soldier, Col. Hackworth is the embodyment of what every grunt leader should aspire to be. From his early days in 1946 to Vietnam, he did what he thought was best for his command. The means may be questionable, but the ends are fully justified.

I listened to the writer at a recent conference (garage.com) and had to buy the book. I was up all night reading it. This person has lessons to teach in real people management, lessons I never learned in B-School. A must read.

I've learned more about winning thinking and leadership in this book than I have from officers in the past eleven years of navy service. Shame these things are not practiced and taught as widely as they used to be.

Memoirs of Dave Hackworth, otherwise known as "Hack." He was a real jerk that went off on the Army. He went off on them for good reasons, based on experiences in Korea and Vietnam, but I found him to be just as guilty as the things he was criticizing. Ended up quitting the army and being chased by the Army in an attempt to smear him. How they failed at this is one of the greatest arguments proving the Army's lack of ability to carry through on an objective. I could not recomend this book based on the author's persistent foul language and basic crude nature. I learned a lot about Korea and Vietnam wars but was hindered from enjoying the book fully because of the author.

"About Face"? "About Me" would be a more fitting title. This is one of a very few books I have set aside unfinished. The history is OK. The self aggrandizement and self promotion is over the top and reeks of exaggeration.

Why did Hackworth feel it necessary to alter his records to reflect he was a US Army Ranger, when he wasn't one? Why did General Abrams want to court-martial him for conduct unbecoming an officer, in part because of his money-laundering schemes? Why did he have a clerk in his battalion whose full-time job it was to write him up for decorations on flimsy evidence? Why did one of his sergeants file a claim alleging his war crimes? Why did he travel to Manila to visit his family posted there but never left the brothel?

This book was written about Hackworth by Hackworth. Be very wary about taking it at face value. Slate Magazine had some interesting articles that are availaable on google/bing.com. Hackworth slate krohn