Book Description
He set his star by a simple motto: duty, honor, country. Only rarely does history grant a single individual the ability, personal charisma, moral force, and intelligence to command the respect, admiration, and affection of an entire nation. But such a man is General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of the Allied Forces in the Gulf War. Now, in this refreshingly candid and typically outspoken autobiography, General Schwarzkopf reviews his remarkable life and career: the events, the adventures, and the emotions that molded the character and shaped the beliefs of this uniquely distinguished American leader.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-19
This book was surprisingly good. It was straight forward. He said a lot of things that I hadn't expected to hear from a man in his position. My guess is that he received a lot of "poop" for it also.
He has a lot of heart and a lot of good emotions.
I have read some negative stuff about him also but all in all he seems to be a pretty good man - and a pretty good story teller.
I haven't checked yet but if he has written something else, I would probably buy it. I think he has brains and insight and I don't think that he would be a paen to the established order - He would be loyal to his country of course - but I feel that he would tell it as he saw it without being afraid to be critical - if he felt criticism was necessary.
I would like to see him write something on military history - past wars or battles or something like that.
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-14
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
A vanishing breed; The soldier/general as historian and gentleman........2006-12-17
I went into this read thinking that this would be another in a long line of self-serving autobiographies from officer blow-hards that are so full of themselves it is disgusting. I expected, like I have read in so many other memoirs, a tale where the main character is bigger than the times he served in.
Not so with General Schwarzkopf. He is truly an American hero who was given an impossible mission during the first Gulf War and he pulled it off partly due to a sense of history, in part due to political accument, and in no large part because this took a lot of balls.
The General starts the book out with a touching portrait of his childhood; his formative years were spent living in the Middle East, learning the customs, an appetite for the cuisine, and the art of falconry.
He is no Gen. Eisenhower, to be sure, but he is still a larger than life figure that served our nation during a pivotal time in our Middle Eastern Diplomacy.
"Stormin' Normin" is neither falsely self-effacing, nor does he "toot his own horn." He is what he is, and his not only has his biography born testimony to his greatness as both an officer and as an American, subsequent interviews with the gliteratti have done nothing but illumine the brightness of his "star(s)."
A great read for the history buff, or a lover of biographies of great Americans.
A fascinating tale of a soldier!.......2006-03-09
I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf was brutally honest in telling his life story! I can see how a deserving general that he was. Honor, duty, country and yes a very just man. I just had some wishful thinking that if only South Vietnam had one or two men just like him to prosecute the Vietnam war! A fine man he is!
The Real Story.......2005-12-29
Beyond the CNN propaganda and the rantings of the Left and Right,_It Doesn't take a Hero_ give you the inside story of Gulf War I. Worth rereading now, a decade latter.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-16
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-14
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-14
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-16
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-14
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-16
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Customer Reviews:
An honest account from an honest man........2007-06-16
"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an adage that was penned for men such as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
It is very easy for Englishman to prefer British heroes over those from other countries. Some might say it is even easier for United States citizens to acknowledge the achievements of their own citizens whilst deprecating those of any other nation. Eisenhower, for example, was a great man - but so was Montgomery!
This book, however, is about a man who is not in open comparison to any. He tells an account of his own life which, as others have already stated, is so honest as to be brutally so. How odd that the fickle finger of fate is able to steer any man towards his ultimate destiny. What if Eisenhower (or even Montgomery) had joined the Navy?, what if Norman Schwarzkopf had railed against his father's wishes and "not" joined the US Army?
But they did and I am unable to avoid that cliché which demands that "the rest is history." Having said that, I would suggest General Schwarzkopf's contribution to that history is as great as any man's.
Other reviewers have sought to express their views in their own ways and quite rightly so! Some of those reviews give the reader a quick impression - "it's a great book" and all that, whereas others seek to paraphrase the book and, is so doing give the reader a better impression of what is found within it's pages.
Me, well, for the very first time in a long time, I feel as though I have read a book. Just think about that. Take a moment to look at any of my book reviews, then click on that button which says "see all my reviews" and you will see what I mean. Some of those books are on subjects I feel very passionate about. Some are great books and well worth the 5 star rating given. Others are less than ordinary and not even worth the single star one is required to donate to the charitable cause that best describes that particular offering in print.
Then I find a biography from a retired general who came to prominence during the first Gulf War, the biography of a man who recognised it does not take a hero to order men into battle, the biography of an ordinary bloke who did good, served his country and the cause of freedom well and expects nothing in return.
Buy it. Read it. Only then will you also appreciate what I mean by having "read" a book. There will come a time when you will read it again.
NM
Retired British Army major.
Average customer rating:
- A Must Read on Opening of the War
|
Liaison 1914
Edward Spears
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
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World War I
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ASIN: 0304356824 |
Book Description
Most World War I experts agree the "Great War" was decided in the first 20 days of fighting. Yet uncontrollable events sucked in gigantic forces that swiftly brought long, horrible mass slaughter because the stakes were so high. The early fateful days are described in fascinating, horrific detail by a British officer who, as a liaison between the British and French armies, possessed a unique vantage point for observing military strategy and politics.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read on Opening of the War.......2005-10-07
An easy, short review to write. Simply the best personal account of the opening campaign of the war. The author, who also had a key liaison position in the French-British fiasco in May-June 1940, pulls no punches in this account of the near fiasco of August-September 1914.
I have read that Spears is considered one of only two men (the other being Churchill) to have written essential, classic first person accounts of both World Wars, this book being one of them and the other being his book on the French-British reaction (or lack thereof) to the German blitzkrieg of 1940.
Besides the descriptions of the military actions, this book also presents exceptional profiles of many of the key figures in both the French and British forces. Spears was, as a liaison between the two armies, in a unique position to oberve the men on both sides. He writes, naturally, from the British viepoint and is not always kind to his French allies. He is particularly scathing on General Lanrezac, who he considered to have been an honorable man driven to venality and deceit through panic and loss of nerve.
I have the original British edition of this book. It was published with a set of elaborate fold-out maps. I haven't seen this reprint, so I don't know what maps are provided here. The maps are very useful, since much of the book contains the author's observations of small actions, and the maps are specifically keyed to these descriptions. But with or without the maps, this book is esential reading on the opening campaign of the war and I am glad to see it is available in a recent edition.
Average customer rating:
|
Liaison 1914. (Net Assessment).(Book Review): An article from: Air & Space Power Journal
William T. Dean
Manufacturer: U.S. Air Force
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B0008FRI8E
Release Date: 2005-07-30 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Air & Space Power Journal, published by U.S. Air Force on September 22, 2002. The length of the article is 863 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Liaison 1914. (Net Assessment).(Book Review)
Author: William T. Dean
Publication:
Air & Space Power Journal (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2002
Publisher: U.S. Air Force
Volume: 16
Issue: 3
Page: 110(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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