2 comments about Stonewall Jackson (Great Generals).

1. I thought this book provided a succinct and accurate assessment of General Jackson's life and career. I do, however, offer three criticisms.
   
   First, a few maps would have been most helpful. The author presumes that the reader has a working knowledge of Jackson's major battles--the places they were fought, the strategy and tactics employed, and the surrounding topography. I realize that the Great General Series must make certain accommodations in order to accomplish its goal of providing a BRIEF overview of the life and service of its subjects, but a few maps would have greatly enhanced my understanding of what Jackson accomplished.
   
   Second, I thought the comparisons between Jackson's strategy and tactics and those employed in the Iraq War were both gratuitous and a bit of stretch, a not-so-veiled attempt to make the Civil War seem somehow relevant to the conflict in the Middle East.
   
   Third, the editors should have read the text one more time before it went to print. There were several typographical and formatting errors that were a bit of a distraction.
   
   These, however, are minor complaints. If you don't know much about Stonewall and want to get a feel for the contribution he made to the Confederacy and towards the evolution of military tactics, you would do well to read this book.



2. Stonewall Jackson by Donald A. Davis
   (Palgrave Macmillan (2007), Hardcover, 224 pages)
   
   A review
   by
   Colin J. Edwards
   
   Stonewall or Oddball?
   
   I have to come clean immediately and confess that I have difficulty with the description, `tough fighting generals'. What they are describing are heartless individuals who send men to death or mutilation with reckless abandon. Let us remind ourselves that wars are started by politicians, fought by generals and won by soldiers. The American Civil War was the exception: the generals prolonged that one.
   Before you cast me aside as a peace-nik lefty, let me assure you that I saw action as an infantry officer, and know a little of what I speak.
   
   Books about wars: and this is a book about a war more than a biography of an individual, are either from an officer's perspective, or the enlisted man. Donald Davis is the exception being quite at home writing about either. His best seller `Lightening Strike', records the active service of a gunnery sergeant. However, I could find little sympathy for the fighting man in this volume. Mr Davis wrote with touching tenderness of the separation of General Jackson from his wife and new baby girl. A separation that didn't last long as the general called them to his side. Tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers from North and South would have thought precious, just a moment with their loved ones. Rank has its privilege it seems.
   
   Davis' detailed descriptions of the various battles are excellent, if a little tedious. This is due perhaps to a lack of information about Jackson who was such a secretive individual, that it's a wonder Davis was able to write the book at all.
   
   Born at Clarksburg West Virginia on January 21 1824 into an attorney's family, he preceded by four months another general and West Point chum who saw the light of day at Liberty Indiana in May: a future adversary, Ambrose Burnside.
   
   After a very unsettled childhood, he entered West Point more by luck than judgement. He struggled to keep up but had an almost eccentric ability to focus unswervingly on the subject at hand. This paid off and he was able to move up the rankings graduating 17th out of a class of 59. This was not good enough to get him into the esteemed engineers, but it did get him into the artillery as a second lieutenant. This single minded eccentricity bordering on autism became more apparent when he was under fire during the Mexican Way. Observation of his reckless valour caused him to be bumped up the ranks to acting major. Another manifestation of his disturbed mental state was his inability to work in harmony with others. His unresolved dispute with a brother officer while stationed at Fort Mead in Florida, resulted in him leaving the army and taking up a teaching post at Lexington Virginia.
   
   The general consensus was that Thomas Jackson was a poor teacher, but the eight years there gave him the opportunity to meet and marry two wives.
   
   The Civil War found him back in the army and up to his neck in muck and bullets in the battles so precisely delineated by Mr Davis. His eccentricity (or mental disturbance), new no bounds and he and his soldiers went from victory to victory even if it killed them. He even had one of his generals (A.P.Hill), dragged along behind a cart on an interminable march for some undisclosed actus reus. This so damaged the general's tender feet that he was out of action for some time. Not the action of a sound mind you might think; particularly when it concerns one of your better generals.
   
   Jackson continued to carry the whole war on his shoulders, confiding in no one until he experienced a nervous collapse. From then until the end of his life he was conspicuous for his ability to fall asleep anywhere. On one occasion he was summoned to see his boss Robert E Lee, and promptly fell asleep before he saw him.
   
   Thomas Jackson was a religious zealot who spoke more to God than anyone else. However, he did not practice what he preached, nor anything anyone else preached as he didn't stay awake long enough. He had no compunction in raking artillery fire into Mexican civilians when Mexico City failed to surrender in 1848, or later when he gunned down a retreating Mexican army. During the Civil War he showed no reluctance to destroy fellow Americans be them from the North or the South, and insisted that his officers do likewise.
   
   To experience fear while in the presence of danger is normal. To some extent it is possible to hide that fear. Jackson did not hide it; he did not have any fear. He constantly took needless risks and in front of his troops defied the conflagration to kill him.
   That was until Chancellorsville on May 2 1863. Throwing caution to the wind as usual, he took his staff beyond his own front lines to reconnoitre the enemy positions. True to form he omitted to inform anyone of his intentions. Upon his return he was fired upon by his own soldiers and hit three times. Six of his staff were killed outright. He however was not killed but was stretchered to an aid station falling off the stretcher on the way. The chief surgeon of Jackson's army, Dr Hunter McGuire, amputated his left arm, but did not notice General Jackson complaining about chest pain. The pain developed into pneumonia from which he died on May 10th 1863.
   
   Google Books list over 4000 entries for General Jackson, and most of them suggest that had he lived the result at Gettysburg would have been different. The generals lost the battle for the Confederates by their bickering and lack of direction. Jackson would have only added to the confusion. The soldiers of the South fought their hearts out at Gettysburg only to be betrayed by their officers.
   
   Donald Davis's book is a myth breaker, and a `must read' for anyone who has an interest in the first modern war.
   
   
   

5 comments about For God and Glory: Lord Nelson and His Way of War.

1. Joel Hayward's "For God and Glory: Lord Nelson and His Way of War" is a different type of biography. Hayward discards the standard chronological account in favor of an examination of key themes in Nelson's approach to war. These themes include Nelson's conception of his enemies, his spiritual beliefs, his leadership style, his warfighting styles on sea and land, and his experience of coalition warfare. Hayward leverages his background in military strategy and history to explore Nelson's experiences with respect to these themes and how they contributed to the growth and application of his leadership skills. The author uses many examples from Nelson's very long life in uniform, in and out of combat, to illustrate his points. The result nicely highlights Nelson's gifts as a leader and how they directly related to his success in combat.
   
   This approach has much to recommend itself for a professional military audience and for the student of the military art. The book as written would lend itself nicely to use by leadership seminars in or out of the military. Nelson's stress on developing and trusting subordinates and issuing mission-type orders, while setting a superb personal example, are leadership traits applicable in a variety of circumstances.
   
   Those looking for a more typical biography, or who are unfamiliar with Nelson's career, may find the thematic approach difficult to follow. This approach causes some repetition in the discussion of incidents in Nelson's military life; the narrative is purposely thin on details of Nelson's life away from the British Navy.
   
   This is an excellent though not perfect work. Hayward is an unabashed fan of Lord Nelson and makes repeated assertions of his greatness as part of emphasizing his points; the discussion might have benefited from a little less of this. Hayward goes to some lengths to rationalize Nelson's abandonment of his wife in favor of his mistress, Emma Hamilton, a discussion that may not be necessary to the examination of Nelson's military skills. Hayward appears to misread Clausewitzian military theory to argue that Nelson's practice of manuever warfare made him practically unique to his time. In fact, Clausewitz advocated the defeat of an enemy's main army, not frontal assaults on it as Hayward implies. The point is well-taken that Nelson was an advanced and daring military thinker. The hardcover edition suffers from some annoying editing challenges: the proper titles of named individuals such as the Duke of Wellington are repeatedly rendered in lower case.
   
   This book is highly recommended to the professional military officer and students of the military art and of leadership in general.



2. This is the most interesting of the recent Nelson books mainly because its author asks significant new questions and digs deeper into areas of Nelson's military experience than we are used to. The result is highly pleasing.



3. This book on Nelson takes a different tack than most biographies. It has a non-traditional approach and it does not cast Nelson as a divine being. Instead Hayward uses a thematic essay approach to get at who Nelson was and to make him relevant to our age. As a result, I found Hayward's methodology to be highly original and interesting.
   
   Using themes, Nelson's command and leadership technique is examined from six different perspectives. To derive an understanding of a man as complex and compelling as Nelson can not be done simply by producing a historical recanting of his exploits and accomplishments. Besides that has been done numerous times over.
   
   Hayward does an excellent job of resolving the apparent hypocrisies in Nelson's life (his religiosity and adulterous affair with Lady Hamilton) as well as shed some light on his creative genius in war and his ability to inspire a Nation. The author's approach to Nelson's warfighting from a viewpoint of maneuver warfare, land war, and coalition warfare is unique and makes this book relevant to a modern warrior.



4. Although there are many fine biographies of Nelson, I recommend this lesser-known work, for it provides a number of key points about Nelson as a human being and as a military leader.
   
   1. Nelson was a logistical genius. It's nice to be brilliant on the battlefield, but if your men are exhausted, poorly fed and sick, and your equipment falling apart, you will probably lose despite your brilliance. As hundreds of written commands show, Nelson worked tirelessly to supply his men with fresh food whenever possible and gather the materials needed to keep the ships in fighting trim. He was at sea for months before Trafalgar, in weather that wore down his wooden ships and exposed sailors, while the French and Spanish were in port. By all rights they should have been rested and full of spirit, but it was they who were ill and the British who were fit. This stems largely from Nelson's obsessive concern for the logistical train needed to support his massive 27-ship fleet.
   
   2. Nelson truly cared about the men under his command. While he understood the need for discipline, he was neither bullying nor cruel toward his men, who were often "pressed," i.e. virtually enslaved by press-gangs which prowled the waterfronts and ports of England to fill the fleet's gundecks. Nelson focused enormous attention on finding fresh meat and other foodstuffs for his sailors, even spending his own money at times to do so.
   
   3. Nelson's confidence inspired those under his command. By all accounts, the English sailors went into battle confident of victory, simply because Nelson was their leader.
   
   4. Genius is not transferable to other fields of endeavor. One might guess that Nelson would have brought some military genius to land warfare as well, but in fact his personality and naval skills did not transfer at all to land. He was an abysmally inept leader on land, impulsive when planning was key, impatient when patience was key, and reckless when victory was impossible. Indeed, both his injuries (loss of vision in one eye and loss of an arm) occurred in land battles in which he'd been tasked to overcome forts. He failed in both battles.
   
   5. Nelson empowered his captains to pursue an overall battle plan with their own initiative. Nelson was very careful to explain his overall plan for the battle--the so-called "Nelson touch"--but he left the details and implementation up to each captain. Thus as the battle unfolded, the English always had the advantage of individual initiative, while the competing fleets tended to rely on direct orders issued through signal flags-- flags which were often obscured by the smoke from black powder gunfire or the interference of other ships.
   
   6. Nelson rose through the ranks in a window of British naval history when command was based on merit rather than birthright. While the higher reaches of naval command continued to be filled by those born into nobility, the war with Napoleon forced the British to look outside the narrow confines of the noble classes for actual talent in battle. After all, what good is a peerage if your estate is occupied by the French?
   
   7. Like many "great people," Nelson was a jumble of contradictory internal forces. The son of a vicar, Nelson remained deeply devout throughout his life, despite the violence of his chosen trade and his blatantly adulterous affair with Lady Hamilton. Though he held no special rancor for the various other enemies he was ordered to battle in his career (Americans, Danes, etc.), he did hate the French with what can only be called unbridled passion. He thought they were threatening civilization as he understood it and Napoleon had to be crushed. Though there were periods of "peaceful co-existence" in the Napoleonic Wars, Nelson believed the only solution was to completely defeat the French. Though blessed with compassion for the men under his command, he was vainglorious to a fault, often emblazoning himself with a chestful of gaudy medals.
   
   8. "The Nelson Touch" consisted of thinking outside the norms of 18th century sea warfare. Nelson generally gained the advantage by doing the unexpected or taking what others would see as unacceptable risk. For instance, in the Battle of the Nile, which drove Napoleon from North Africa, he engaged in a night battle, a very chancy affair considering the presence of nearby shoals and the impossibility of communicating with his captains.
   
   So consider celebrating Trafalgar's 200th anniversary by reading more about a fascinating personality and genius-- even if his genius was war at sea.



5. I'm in the US Navy and certainly wasn't looking at books on Brits when searching for a book on early maneuver warfare. But in a bibliography on maneuver I came across Hayward's book, which was both highly recommended and had an entire chapter on Nelson and maneuver warfare. It was exactly what I wanted: evidence that the ideas imbedded within our current doctrine go way back. I ended up actually reading the entire book and to my surprise found out that John Paul Jones wasn't the father of modern naval warfare; Nelson was. The book is full of insight into the nature of war at sea. I think it would benefit sailors in every navy. Rob Wheble.
   
   Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TX 78409

1 comments about Voices From the Battle Of The Bulge (Voices from the Battle of the Bulge).

1. Featuring a forward by Major General Michael Reynolds CB, Voices From The Battle Of The Bulge presents personal testimonies from Americans, British, and German soldiers and civilians who took part in one of the most historic and severe conflicts near the end of World War II. A slight scattering of black-and-white photographs illustrates the powerful, firsthand accounts, in this primary source of military history that is riveting and sometimes chilling. Voices From The Battle Of The Bulge is a welcome and highly recommended addition to academic and personal, academic, and community library military history collections, adding a unique touch to the recounting of a dramatic and world-shaping event in the European Theatre battlefields of World War II.

5 comments about A Call to the Sea: Captain Charles Stewart of the USS <I>Constitution</I>.

1. This book reads like an age of sail novel- but it's all true. It's a very informative and very exciting biography. You'll also learn alot about early U.S. Naval history. It amazes me that we have known so little about Charles Stewart!! The auhors have done a great job. I agree with the other Amazon reviewers- you won't be able to put this one down. Extraordinary!!



2. Delia Tudor Parnell, nee Stewart, did not die in 1892 or in Bordentown, New Jersey at Montpelier. She died at Avondale, Wicklow, Ireland (the Parnell home) in 1898 in a terrible accident; her dress caught fire and she died an extremely painful death.
   Charles Stewart, son of Admiral Charles Stewart, did not die in Paris in 1874. He died in Rome, Italy in 1872.
   These factual discrepencies do not give me much comfort that this biography is trustworthy.



3. I finally read this book that had been a Christmas present from my son. I was hesitant to read something marketed as a "real life Jack Aubrey" since I'm a fan of that series, but I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to the book jacket.
   
   I found three minor faults with the work. First, as another reviewer mentioned, there were a few name/date inaccuracies; for example, in a discussion of the gunboat battle of the Barbary War, the book has 1803 instead of 1804. There were a few occasions in the book when the authors actually discuss various sources and their merits and they actually argue through why some sources and dates don't seem right. That leads me to believe it was either minor oversights or a failure in editing. Second, the authors overused the term "old schoolyard friends" when referring to Stewart, Decatur or Somers. Once or twice would have sufficed. Third, in the narratives about Stewart's facing off against two British fleets (Warren's and Collier's), it would have been helpful to have researched and explored the British perspectives more.
   
   That said, I thought this was a very strong biography in a traditional sense. As a retired Navy officer, I also found it refreshing for a naval biography to be written by two naval officers. They used extensive primary sources and they tell a great story. I had only barely heard of Stewart before reading this, but he led an incredible life. I was familiar with the Barbary Wars and War of 1812, but their telling of his time in the Pacific was entirely new to me - in fact I have not seen it told elsewhere except tangentially by Nathaniel Philbrick in "the Tale of the Whaleship Essex" - and the problems Stewart had with a State Department agent and his wife were almost hilarious had they not been so bad.
   
   If you want to read about the first six decades of the U.S. Navy told through the eyes of one officer's career, this book is it.



4. Fair, somewhat interesting but rather dull. Not well written, reads like it was patched together, same information restated numerous times.



5. Carefully researched and written by two Naval officers, this book is a biography of one man, Charles Stewart, but it tells you almost as much about the Navy as it existed in the early years of our country.
   
   Stewart served in the navy for sixty-three years, from age 19 to 83. He commanded eleven United States Navy ships, more than any other person.
   
   There have been three ships in the navy named for Capt. Stewart. The first USS Stewart (DD-13) was a Bainbridge-class destroyer which served from 1902 until 1919.
   
   The second USS Stewart (DD-224) was a Clemson-class destroyer which was commissioned in 1920. In early 1942 she was damaged by an Japanese air attack. She was further damaged while in dry dock for repairs. Demolition charges were then set off inside the ship and she was hit by another Japanese bomb. She and the drydock sank. The Japanese Navy raised her, repaired her and renamed her Patrol Boat No. 102. She served through the rest of the war, and re-entered the US Navy after the war, at which time there were two USS Stewarts in the Navy. DD-224 was later used as a target ship for aircraft and was sunk in 1946.
   
   The third Stewart (DE-238) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort that served from 1943 to 1947 - She later became a museum ship and was in Galveston, Texas, where she still may be.
   
   But back to the book. These authors have written this book so well that it almost reads like a novel. The thing to keep in mind, however, is that this story is true.

5 comments about Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir.

1. This is a highly readable and expertly written account by Tom Jones about his astronaut career.
   He writes from his heart, and has clearly thought a lot about how to effectively communicate his experiences.
   His use of imagery puts this book in the realm of literature, though it is definitely non-fiction.
   A must for your Christmas list if you are or once were an aspiring astronaut, an aspiring writer of topics related to space and technology or just interested in knowing what it is like up there. It is a great read; I laughed, I cried, learned something about space, space policy and history, and was amazed by it all!



2. Sky Walking is the best account of the experience of space that I have ever read. It takes you deep into the physical and emotional sensations of space travel where you the reader experience what astronauts experience right down to the mundane task trying to locate an item that has floated away in the cabin or trying to use an exercise bike with zero gravity. Tom Jones is an articulate writer capable of constructing wonderful imagery and some choice metaphors about every aspect of space travel from training to launch to rentry. His descriptions of his space walks and working aboard the International Space Station are particularly memorable. Jones is also not afraid to render an opinion about this America's commitment to space what can and should be done to maintain NASA as a shining symbol of American capability. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a curiosity about what space travel is really like.
   -- Jerry Burton, author of Zora Arkus-Duntov the Legend Behind Corvette and Corvette, America's Sports Car, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.



3. There are many excellent books written by and about the Right Stuff astronauts who flew during the earlier days of the space program. However, until recently, there has been a nearly total lack of books by and about the shuttle astronauts who fly now. For better or worse, today's space program is as different from the program of the early days as the shuttle is different from the Apollo capsules. And today's astronauts are different, too.
   
   Mike Mullane was the first of the shuttle astronauts to write about his experiences in his book Riding Rockets. However, Mullane was a member of the group that made the transition from the Apollo program to the shuttle program, and the tone of his book is almost wistful; he clearly wanted to be one of the Right Stuff guys-- and he means guys-- but he ended up being a shuttle technician.
   
   Sky Walking is a memoir by a very different sort of astronaut. Tom Jones was very young during the "glory days" of the space program, so he has no Right Stuff preconceptions about astronauts as death-defying heroes. Rather, he is an Air Force Academy graduate who flew B-52s, earned a PhD in planetary sciences, and became a dedicated, professional shuttle program technician. That could have made for a dull, technical book if it weren't for his intellect and, more importantly, his powers of observation and ability to reflect on what he experienced.
   
   Jones flew four shuttle missions and took three space walks on his final mission, which was dedicated to construction on the International Space Station. His accounts of what space walks are like-- and of the hundreds of hours of training that precedes each one-- are first rate. His descriptions of the ISS and of the issues surrounding its planning, funding, and construction are excellent. I don't know of any other insider's book that deals with the ISS in such detail or with such authority. This is because Jones was an administrator in the ISS program between his third and fourth shuttle flights.
   
   The subtitle says that this is "an astronaut's memoir," and that's exactly what it is. Jones takes us trough his selection as an astronaut, his general training, his years of waiting for flights, his training for those flights, and the flights themselves. There is considerable technical information in the book, but Jones does an excellent job of clarifying it for non-experts. The real focus is on Jones himself-- what he sees, thinks, and feels about what's happening to him.
   
   This is an outstanding book. It answers the two basic questions many of us have always had: "What's it REALLY like to fly in space?" and "What are those people REALLY like?" I thoroughly enjoyed Sky Walking, and I recommend it most highly.



4. Not the Right Stuff for me.
   The writing is wordy, attempts to be profound and "educated" at every turn, and fails.
   
   His single most dramatic story, the stuck hatch, is anti-climatic.
   
   His second most dramatic story: too much air getting into the food packets.
   
   There is very little "inside scoop" here, as NASA is portrayed as all glorious, and almost perfect. Yet we know, and see demonstrated on a regular basis, that the opposite is true.
   
   Find this locally if you can, and browse through it first to see if its the right stuff for you.



5. This is a beautifully written account of one astronaut's experiences going through the NASA space program. If you are curious about what it takes to become an astronaut, the inner-workers of the organization, and what its like to truly live in space, this is a terrific book. And, the writer has a wonderful way of translating complex information into easily digestible bites. Truly a wonderful read!

5 comments about The Railway Man: A POW's Searing Account of War, Brutality and Forgiveness.

1. I read this book when it was first published about ten years ago and the moving experience has remained with me since I finished the final sentence. It is an incredibly vivid book that you will not be able to put down.
   What Eric Lomax went through as a POW, and his eventual reconciliation with one of his torturers 50 years later displays a depth of humanity that is deeply moving.



2. What an incredible book I was not able to put down. I am a big military history buff and found the early pacific theater defeats very disturbing especially the battles in and around Malaya.
   
   The treatment of Mr. Lomax was not surprising as the Japanese were ruthless. Putting this experience into such a personal and riveting ordeal makes this book a must read. Eric Lomax puts personal vivid perspective on the years after his ordeal that is often left out of most military history accounts of battle, defeat and capture.
   
   This book is very cathartic and brought tears to my eyes. Forgiveness is a more powerful emotion and triumphs over anger and revenge.



3. i also read this when it first appeared, was deeply moved and presented it to my wife's father, a ww2 veteran. i write this review today because a man george bush proposed for attorney general is about to be approved while refusing to admit that waterboarding is torture.
   
   as every reader of this book knows, this is precisely the torture that was used on the author eric lomax, which terrified and impacted him for his entire life, and made it so hard for him to forgive even the interrogator present during it.
   
   several reviewers have said this book documents how brutal was the japanese treatment of prisoners, and i agree.. how can we allow ourselves to become the same as those wartime enemies we have characterized as monsters? god help us if we do not object..



4. I was standing in a college bookstore and saw this title as the text for a class on Asian history. I typically have no interest in this genre but this book was riveting. The detail and genuine quality of the author's words are unique. One expects a POW who was tortured to seek out the torturer for revenge not forgiveness. This story has a beautiful, eternal message to the rest of us who hold grudges over much smaller offenses.



5. When I read this book 10 years ago, I couldn't understand what Lomax was talking about when he described how he was held down by Japanese soldiers, a cloth placed over his face, and water poured over him.
   
   It's now very topical.
   
   It's a very honest and informative personal story, as well

No comments about Through Our Eyes.

5 comments about A Life In Leadership: From D-Day to Ground Zero: An Autobiography.

1. I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in leadership, but especially young business people at the beginning of their careers. This memoir gives an incredible inside and frank perspective on leadership of an individual who has had a more ecclectic and successful career than most people could ever hope for. Furthermore, this book is also fascinating because it provides a historical insight into the business world that a history textbook could never provide.
   
   Lastly, I recommend this book because the leadership lessons it provides are universal. They aren't fly-by-night strategies, but basic and simple values that can be applied to almost any leadership position at any time.



2. I had trouble finishing this book because I could barely get through a couple of pages without getting so inspired that I had to stop so I could take action on my own dreams. As a recent graduate of NYU, I was reminded that my career path will take many unexpected turns and of the possible impact I can have by following my vision and sticking to my values.
   
   This autobiography is written with such authenticity that it is completely relatable. The author's struggle to pay his own way through college in 1939 reminded me of my own in 2000. I could relate to the feelings of triumph. And I could certainly relate to the mortifying mistakes (although perhaps I haven't yet experienced anything as bad as driving Henry Ford home in a Chevy!).
   
   At the same time, the book is incredibly educational. History, business, political, and leadership lessons are encapsulated in every story. As Whitehead describes his experiences, certain themes begin to emerge, giving the reader tools they can apply to their own life. I found myself using lessons I derived from Whitehead's diplomacy missions in my work with others!



3. I am about through with the book and I normally don't make comment until I'm done with a book, but this man is truly remarkable. The author has lived a remarkable business life and the book is an inspirational biography full of relatable business lessons or nuggets. I have had a lot of fun laughing and learning from his life lessons.
   
   On the other hand, I feel that the lesson I have learned most is that a balance of work and life is imperative to me. The author is twice divorced and I believe he dedicated more time to his work life than his family life. I think he is kinda reluctant to talk in more depth about it having only dedicated three pages to the topic. I think he would agree. Nonetheless, I have become a huge fan of John C. Whitehead.



4. 
   A brief summary of John Whitehead's accomplishments thus far indicates the nature and extent of his "life in leadership": most recently, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC); previously, co-chairman of Goldman Sachs and then deputy secretary of state, second-in-command to Secretary George Shultz, in the Reagan administration; also tenures as chairman of the governing boards (at one point or another) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the United Nations Association, the International Rescue Committee, the Harvard Board of Overseers, Haverford College from which he earned a B.A. degree, and the Asia Society. It should also be noted that, during World War Two, Ensign Whitehead commanded a Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or "Higgins boat" that successfully delivered troops to Omaha beach on the first day of the Normandy Invasion.
   
   With all due respect to Whitehead's numerous and considerable accomplishments, however, what most impressed throughout his memoirs is his passionate commitment to being an effective leader of others whose welfare has been entrusted to his care. He has always cared deeply, indeed passionately about sustaining that commitment, whatever the given circumstances may be.
   
   As a case in point, after retiring from Goldman Sachs, Whitehead was determined to disengage himself from his various responsibilities and therefore "was dead set against" accepting New York Governor George Pataki's invitation to serve as chairman of the LMDC, following the attack on the World Trade Center. After completing a rigorous analysis of the "pros" and "cons" of acceptance, "it was clear to me that I had to say no." Then, after he looked around his office at all the photographs and memorabilia, "I took a deep breath, and I knew what I had to do. I picked up the phone again and dialed the governor, and when he came on the line I told him I'd accept." There are dozens of other, comparable situations in which White also had to make an especially difficult decision, none of which he later regretted. "I don't allow myself that luxury. What's done is done."
   
   There are several important lessons that can be learned from Whitehead's personal as well as professional experiences that he so generously shares in this volume. Those of greatest interest and value to me include these three:
   
   1. Effective leadership is first and foremost both a privilege and an obligation; those who would lead others must embrace the obligations of trust, compassion, and dedication as well as of rigorous preparation, precise and enlightened decision-making, and courage. It is worth recalling that Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.
   
   2. Effective leadership also requires not only an understanding and appreciation of teamwork but also a determination to help develop effective leadership skills in one's associates. Hence the importance of recognizing and, yes, celebrating the achievements of others.
   
   3. Finally, effective leadership functions simultaneously within three dimensions: the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual. Throughout history, the greatest leaders are those who possess (a) highly refined analytical skills and sufficient knowledge that enable them to make appropriate decisions, (b) a temperament that enables them to sustain a proper balance of what is most important, and also (c) what is often referred to as a "moral compass." As Bill George has so eloquently explained in his book True North, authentic leaders must be authentic people.
   
   When concluding his memoirs, Whitehead observes that he can't help thinking how "lucky" he has been. "Mine has been a good life, filled with lots of fun, interesting experiences, drama, and an engagement with serious issues at the highest level...I have lived at a time when there has been a lot to be done, from fighting the Nazis to battling terrorists. I like to think I have risen to many of these challenges in my own quiet fashion, and I am confident that the next generation of leaders will meet them in their turn. I have been glad to do my part in all of these great endeavors. More than glad. From first to last, I have been thrilled to be in on the action."
   
   John Whitehead is an exemplary leader but also, in my opinion, an exemplary human being. My hope now is that many others, especially those preparing for a career or who have only recently embarked on one, will read and then re-read this compelling personal account of a life well-lived, committing themselves to honorable and productive service when they are also "in on the action," whenever and wherever that may be.
   
   A brief summary of John Whitehead accomplishments thus far indicates the nature and extent of his "life in leadership": most recently, chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation LMDC); previously, co-chairman of Goldman Sachs and then deputy secretary of state, second-in-command to Secretary George Shultz, in the Reagan administration; also tenures as chairman of the governing boards (at one point or another) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the United Nations Association, the International Rescue Committee, the Harvard Board of Overseers, Haverford College from which he earned a B.A. degree, and the Asia Society. It should also be noted that, during World War Two, Ensign Whitehead commanded a The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or "Higgins boat" that successfully delivered troops to Omaha beach on the first day of the Normandy Invasion.
   
   With all due respect to Whitehead's numerous and considerable accomplishments, however, what most impressed throughout his memoirs is his passionate commitment to being an effective leader of others whose welfare has been entrusted to his care. He has always cared deeply, indeed passionately about sustaining that commitment, whatever the given circumstances may be.
   
   As a case in point, after retiring from Goldman Sachs, Whitehead was determined to disengage himself from his various responsibilities and therefore "was dead set against" accepting New York Governor George Pataki's invitation to serve as chairman of the LMDC, following the attack on the World Trade Center. After completing a rigorous analysis of the "pros" and "cons" of acceptance, "it was clear to me that I had to say no." Then, after he looked around his office at all the photographs and memorabilia, "I took a deep breath, and I knew what I had to do. I picked up the phone again and dialed the governor, and when he came on the line I told him I'd accept." There are dozens of other, comparable situations in which White also had to make an especially difficult decision, none of which he later regretted. "I don't allow myself that luxury. What's done is done."
   
   There are several important lessons that can be learned from Whitehead's personal as well as professional experiences that he so generously shares in this volume. Those of greatest interest and value to me include these three:
   
   1. Effective leadership is first and foremost both a privilege and an obligation; those who would lead others must embrace the obligations of trust, compassion, and dedication as well as of rigorous preparation, precise and enlightened decision-making, and courage. It is worth recalling that Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserved their neutrality.
   
   2. Effective leadership also requires not only an understanding and appreciation of teamwork but also a determination to help develop effective leadership skills in one's associates. Hence the importance of recognizing and, yes, celebrating the achievements of others.
   
   3. Finally, effective leadership functions simultaneously within three dimensions: the intellectual, the emotional, and the spiritual. Throughout history, the greatest leaders are those who possess (a) highly refined analytical skills and sufficient knowledge that enable them to make appropriate decisions, (b) a temperament that enables them to sustain a proper balance of what is most important, and also (c) what is often referred to as a "moral compass." As Bill George has so eloquently explained in his book True North, authentic leaders must be authentic people.
   
   When concluding his memoirs, Whitehead observes that he can't help thinking how "lucky" he has been. "Mine has been a good life, filled with lots of fun, interesting experiences, drama, and an engagement with serious issues at the highest level...I have lived at a time when there has been a lot to be done, from fighting the Nazis to battling terrorists. I like to think I have risen to many of these challenges in my own quiet fashion, and I am confident that the next generation of leaders will meet them in their turn. I have been glad to do my part in all of these great endeavors. More than glad. From first to last, I have been thrilled to be in on the action."
   
   John Whitehead is an exemplary leader but also, in my opinion, an exemplary human being. My hope now is that many others, especially those preparing for a career or who have only recently embarked on one, will read and re-read this compelling personal account of a life well-lived, then commit themselves to honorable and productive service when they are also "in on the action," wherever that may be.



5. This fascinating book will be of interest to a wide array of readers. Previously, I knew a little about John Whitehead's illustrious career of leadership in three sectors: as an icon of Wall Street, Deputy Secretary of State, and a philanthropist. Whitehead describes how his professional and personal goals were achieved. With humor and low-key modesty, he shares his experiences throughout his life, and admits to the cases of serendipity that marked aspects of his career.
   
   Readers interested in business and finance will enjoy reading how John Whitehead realized his vision of turning Goldman Sachs & Co. into a global investment banking powerhouse by the application of straight-forward methods. With determination, clear-thinking, good planning, and honesty, he rose at Goldman Sachs from a young Harvard MBA to co-chairman in the span of 29 years.
   
   Whitehead promoted innovations at Goldman Sachs that were later adopted throughout the investment banking industry: the first initial public offering, preferred stocks and convertible bonds. His nine-point memo with advice to the New Business Department was revolutionary at the time. It included the famous aphorism, "You can never learn anything when you're talking." The co-chairmanship of Goldman Sachs that he established with John Weinberg was a novel leadership solution, as no Wall Street firm had ever had two chairmen before. John Whitehead displayed determination and thoroughness in his work. For example, no one outside of privately-held Ford Motor Company knew exactly how big the company was. In the mid-1950s, Whitehead took the train up to Boston and personally went through the public records in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts files, to find a copy of Ford's balance sheet. This information stimulated Goldman Sachs to initiate a relationship with Ford, which culminated in its managing the IPO of the largest family-owned company in the world.
   
   For readers interested in foreign policy, the book illustrates how to achieve results inside the government. Even before his confirmation as Deputy Secretary of State under President Reagan, in the face of Senator Jesse Helms' obstructionism, he learned the value of speaking directly to an adversary in a successful effort to work things out. Whitehead wanted to make a difference in the world, which he accomplished "with just a little insight and persistence." One of his key successes was to begin the process of weaning Eastern Europe away from the Soviet Union through astute diplomacy, while US foreign policy was still focused on Moscow. He gives a riveting account of his meetings with Lech Walesa and Poland's president Jaruzelsky, Rumania's president Ceaucescu, and Bulgaria's dictator Zhivkov.
   
   John Whitehead also made a strong imprint in the world of nonprofits. "They appealed to the idealistic side of my nature," he writes. Over the course of his life, he has given away more than $100 million. His involvement in nonprofits began with assistance to freedom fighters resisting the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. He describes his exciting experiences with US-supported mujahedin fighting Russian invaders in Afghanistan, including witnessing an attack on a Soviet fort led by a Harvard Law School graduate from Pakistan! More recently, Whitehead's chairmanship of numerous nonprofits - notably the International Rescue Committee, United Nations Association, Youth for Understanding, International House, and The Asia Society - coincided with their spectacular growth.
   
   What makes Whitehead's book especially appealing are the captivating details about his personal life. He relates how his dashing father would land his single-engine plane during World War I on an athletic field on the Bryn Mawr campus, to court his future wife. Upon graduating from high school, John Whitehead worked at the 1939 World's Fair running a concession guessing customers' weights. That summer, he earned enough to pay for his first year's tuition at Haverford College. When he joined the State Department, his daughter made up flash cards to help him memorize the capitals and the names of the political leaders of the 185 countries recognized by the United States.
   
   The book enters the new millennium with John Whitehead's tenure as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, to which he was appointed by Governor Pataki. Its mission was to rebuild the World Trade Center following the tragedy of 9-11. Whitehead describes the vision and challenges of rebuilding Ground Zero. The book concludes with his ideas about leadership, and comments about foreign policy and the general state of the nation. In Whitehead's model of "quiet leadership," the most effective leaders are patient, thoughtful people who are guided by high ideals and do a lot of listening. The ethical dimension of John Whitehead's life and leadership style, and his credo of "doing well while doing good," are truly inspiring - as is this book.

5 comments about Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington.

1. Paul Rieckhoff's new book CHASING GHOSTS is a must read for every citizen of the United States--and for those who cannot read, a family member of friend should read it to them. It is not simply Rieckhoff's stunningly honest telling of his experience as a soldier in Iraq, it is among the finest reports yet written on that highly unnecessary conflict for which we Americans are ultimately responsible. Get and read this book at your earliest opportunity! If you do, you will quickly find out what being patriotic actually means. In addition to the joy you will feel from the way this is written with such daring honesty, simplicity, passion, responsibility, uncomplicated intelligence, insight and vision--you will be stunned, shocked, amazed, thrilled, and you will weep, laugh and be frightened for this book contains real, raw truth. But the unexpected surprise will probably be your own renewed desire to be a much better human being and American. This might be the finest book yet written in our new century--by a young man who is genuinely human and humane and wishes to share his profound observations and thoughts with all of us. CHASING GHOSTS is as good as it gets.--Wayne Adams, NYC



2. Paul Rieckhoff will not tell you he is a writer, but he accomplished in one go what thousands of writers for generations have attempted to do. His entire heart resides between the letters, the lines and pages of this book. The book is political, but Rieckoff smears Left and Right into an uncivilized and counter-productive bloody blur on the mud-stucco wall. His statement is clear; we were not prepared for the War in Iraq, and it is despicable that every last politician in the U.S. Government that voted for the war doesn't hold themselves publicly accountable. This work, this piece of history, this golden nugget for the historian 25-1000 years from now, belongs on the shelf with every other important historical perspective, from Anne Frank to Hirohito. And with his heart is where you'll find the value, the truth, of this source; between the lines. Isn't that where it always is?
   
   This American society seems to be obsessed and compelled with the phrase "On the Ground." President Bush, and both candidates have puked the phrase more than enough times in reference to their connection with the plight and circumstance of our sons and daughters placed in harms way. But they visit the Green Zone, or Baghdad International Airport. They haul through streets to meet with Generals for photo ops and high-tea, perhaps saving a little time to have a meal with the grunts. But the truth isn't near the water cooler conversation with a West Point Graduate selected to lead on the level of political capital the appointment will spawn. The truth is in the words of the soldiers in cities like Tal Afar, sleeping with their rifle, crapping while taking fire, sweeping a street for booby traps. Sorry Ali Baba, the booby has left, he's headed back to his plush home in D.C. ready to say that he has the word.
   
   But they are wrong. Rieckoff has the word, and the heart behind it to make the reader believe; like a good leader should. He was there, he saw it, and if you read this book, it's safest alternative to enlistment. That is why this book will be read by every War Historian for the next 100 years. If you don't buy it, then find it.



3. Personally I am not a big reader of books. However, with a brother in his 3rd tour in Iraq and growing up in a military family and having known Paul as a simple aquaintance in high school, I was excited to check out his book. Not many people from our high school make it into the public eye like Paul has. From the moment I picked up the book I was hooked. It is a powerful and inspiring account of a true and rare American patriot. A patriot who knows what his beliefs are and who is willing to put his life on the line to defend those beliefs. It stirred up a lot of emotions from laughter, tears, and in the end a belief that our soldiers are true heros. I would definately recommend this to anyone and do. Congratulations Paul and look forward to following your inspring career in the years ahead.



4. As someone who has read a large amount of literature concerning the current state of international affairs, specifically in the "War on Terror" and as a hopeful future officer in the United States Army, I found Paul Rieckhoff's account of his time as a platoon leader in Iraq to be not only well-written, but helpful and insightful. From the accounts of under-equipped Guard units, to the sometimes seemingly trivial nature of the Rules Of Engagement, the book paints a quite vivid, and scarily what I imagine to be accurate, picture of the face of America's first gander at twenty-first century warfare.
   Though I found parts of the read to be erie in nature, and though the book provokes questions and doubts about our great nation's leadership and decision-makers, it in no way influenced me to give up joining the military. Rieckhoff has made it clear that the country's leadership is quite questionable, and in part of his writing acknowledges the fact that a new generation of veterans will soon be stepping into the political realm.
   
   Chasing Ghosts deserves to be read.



5. This was a great book and an easy read as it kept you engaged and intrigued. Enjoy!

No comments about Chief of Staff, Vol. 1: The Principal Officers Behind History's Great Commanders, Napoleonic Wars to World War I.