I picked up The Unforgiving Minute as it was on the 2014 U.S. Army Chief of Staff’s Professional Reading List. As I’ve mentioned before, I love to read fiction for fun but I was commuting an hour to work each way so I decided to listen to audiobooks to pass the time. I thought it would benefit me professionally to read the books recommended by the leader of my branch of service. This book became available in April and I listened to it over the course of a week.
The Unforgiving Minute is the memoir of Craig Mullaney. Mullaney is from a small Rhode Island town and earns a nomination to attend West Point after graduating as high school valedictorian in 1996. In The Unforgiving Minute, Mullaney discusses what it was like to attend the United States Military Academy and makes it seem very appealing. After reading this book, I thought about the ways in which my life would have been different had I attended USMA. I did not apply but I did entertain the idea for a very long time. The Unforgiving Minute made me wish, at times, that I did attend West Point. I certainly would have enjoyed the experience but I rather like how my life has unfolded.
While at West Point, Mullaney graduates second in his class earns a Rhodes Scholarship. While studying at Oxford and traveling the globe during down time, the tragedy of 9/11 takes place. Mullaney knows that upon his return to the Army, he will be expected to deploy and fight. That notion was uncommon at the time as Soldiers had not deployed to fight a war for over a decade.
Mullaney returns home after earning his Master’s degree at Oxford and joins the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. He deploys quickly and is placed in charge of nearly fifty men in charge of conducting patrols and finding Taliban forces. Mullaney is tasked with using all of the education he received to do the job he was trained to do. He learns that all of his education may not help. The title of the book is taken from Rudyard Kipling’s “If.”
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
He learns that in combat, it can be the quickest decision that is required.
It is easy to see why Mullaney’s book was recommended by GEN Odierno. Mullaney is very open and honest. He comes across as very insecure at times which is surprising given his accolades but it is demonstrative that he understands, truly understands, what is asked of him. This book is a great read for junior leaders in any position. Junior officers in the Army will especially learn a great deal.