Hazardous Duty

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Summary: IT'S THE GRUNT THAT PAYS THE PRICE -NO MONEY IN HIS SAFETY
Review: COLONEL HACKWORTH CUTS TO THE CHASE IN WHY OUR MILITARY HAS FAILED. IT'S NOT BEING USED AS IT SHOULD AND ITS LEADERS ARE NOT WARRIORS BUT POLITICIANS. WHY DO WE UTILIZE THE SAME INFANTRY EQUIPMENT THAT OUR FATHERS USED? WHY NOT SOME HIGH TECHNOLOGY SMALL ARMS AND BODY ARMOR? EASY, NO MONEY IN IT. WHEN THE BIG GUYS RETIRE THEY GET HIRED BY THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.THIS TYPE OF "NEPOTISM" COSTS LIVES AND WARS. THIS BOOK SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING IN CONGRESS AND WEST POINT.

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Summary: A look into the military of today from a qualified viewer.
Review: Colonel Hackworth obviously has the credentials to be looking into how a military organization operates. He's been there and knows the soldiers. I have seen few people better able to relate to the grunts in the field and he can get the scoop staight from those who know. This book relates his adventures gathering the news for the readers of Newsweek. While Col. Hackworth still comes across a little bitter from his career in the US Army it seems like a resonable response to the events. This bitterness also shades his opinions of current military movers and shakers. Of course, I think he's right. The leaders of today aren't leaders of men, but career managers. This is a good book for those that want to see a little something of the machinations of what happened to produce todays headlines

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Summary: An expose` on the state of our armed forces.
Review: Did you know that 17 cents of every tax dollar collected goes to the military? How is it being spent? Or more importantly, how *well* is it being spent? Col. David Hackworths book reviews the current state of the military and recent missions (bosnia, Desert Storm). After reading it, I felt like running for office so that I could help clean up the mess!

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Summary: great book
Review: Everything Hack says in this book is true. Everyone in the military that I know(uncles, cousins, granfather), agree with everything he says. The only people who disagree with him on big issues either have Downs Syndrome, know nothing compared to his twenty-five years of army service(much of it in combat), or are the kind of people who he is trying to expose. I just wish he was Chairman of JCS.

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Summary: An excellent and entertaining look at the US military
Review: Hackworth's book is an in-your-face report card of the US military's current state of readiness (or lack thereof). From being forced to follow flawed foreign policy (such as the Haiti incursion) to being victimized by thier own senior leaders (witness the failed Aidid raid), Hackworth shows just how unprepared and abused our troops really are. With his accurate and (in my opinion) well-balanced critique of America's military, Hackworth shatters the post-Desert Storm myth of American invincibility. I encourage everybody to buy this book and take heed at the author's warning lest another generation of young Americans comes home from a foreign adventure in bodybags.

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Summary: very disappointing
Review: Hackworth's first book, "About Face" was absolutely brilliant. I believe the Marine Corps once used it as an unofficial guide for officer leadership. It's that good. However, I am reviewing the book "Hazardous Duty" and I must say, this book was a letdown. I don't know what happened in the five years between the two books, but Hack sounds like he lost the ability to communicate on higher than a fourth grade level. I think Hack has been reading way too many Marcinko books and now believes he has to write in the same childish vein to sell as many books as the Pogue Warrior. The language is so immature and superflous, I found myself becoming embarrassed for him. I couldn't believe this was the same author that penned the classic, About Face. I was a grunt in Somalia and Haiti and so I fully understand where Hack is coming from, I just don't share his conclusions. Combining the Armed Forces into one homogeneous force is the most dangerous thing we could do as a nation. The Roman Empire purposely kept its Legions in a weakened state for fear of them acquiring the power to make or break governments as the Praetorian Guard eventually did. We have to keep the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines at each other's throats, so they don't come after ours. The latest word that is being overused by the military is "Joint Operations." This means the four branches working closer with each other and with one overall commander who will then have more power at his fingertips than previously. In the past few years, the military has become more estranged then ever from the public it supposedly serves. From when I was in, we had an "Us versus Them" attitude when it came to the American people. I can only assume it has gotten worse over the past five years. Also, Hack doesn't take the time to delve too deeply into what really happened in the countries he writes about. It sounds like he is just talking off the top of his head, without the proper perspective or use of primary sources. It's only because I liked About Face so much that I'm so disappointed in this book.

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Summary: A pointed critique of our defense establishment.
Review: Hackworth's Newsweek credentials and military experience have given him a unique ability to observe the operations of our armed forces over the past ten years in Iraq, Haiti, Somalia, Korea, and Bosnia. His analysis is critical of many of the leaders and decision makers in our military establishment. His critisim centers on the leadership, equipment, and policy decisions which cause soldiers to be killed needlessly. He has a keen eye. Even though I detect some self-serving nature to his narrative, I find myself agreeing with his analysis and most of his conclusions. This book should be required reading for all military officers with a rank of Colonel or above, and any defense industry civilian working in a decision making position, and for government and Congressional leaders dealing with defense issues. Paul J. Kratz, US Army (retired).

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Summary: Eye-Opening for the Uninformed, Such as Myself
Review: Having young relatives in today's military makes this book hit home all the harder. Our boys deserve protection, especially when the CIC dodged the draft but has no problem sending in our boys to be the world's policemen. Thank you for opening my eyes Hack.

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Summary: Hackwoth has some good ideas
Review: I agree with Col. Hackworth 100% about the reforms we need to make in the military. Most important of all, as a veteran myself, I agree that we need to return to mandatory national service or reinstate the draft. There are too many people in this conutry that take their freedom and standard for living for granted. Moreover, there are too many people who are ending up in the corporate CEOs chair and in elected office that aren't endowed with the stuff they need to succced which best comes from the military. We have too many elected leaders who don't know what a battalion is, or what the military and the government can or cannot do. Hackworth is one of the few military leaders today that has the courage to say that we need to revisit Harry Truman's program of Universal Milttary Training.

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Summary: Hack is on target.
Review: I am an Army veteran of Somalia and Haiti. The first time I read Hack's writings was while I was in Port-au-Prince during Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY. His account of that operation was brutally accurate and was a huge hit with the grunts of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) for speaking the naked truth. I was eager to read more. On Somalia, he was just as accurate. He calls it as he sees it, and he sees it for what it really is. Writing in familiar English, Hack offers his wealth of experience and provides keen insight about military matters. He knows the business of soldiering like no other. His credibility with warriors--past and present--is unmatched.