I read The First World War by Hew Strachan mostly because it was recommended by the Army Chief of Staff. I also realized that my knowledge of WWI is woefully inept considering I have a history degree. I took a class on World War II and the US Civil War. There are dozens of movies about WWII and the Civil War. We joke about the days in which the History Channel showed only profiles of Hitler, as opposed to Ancient Aliens, as a sign of […]
Army Chief of Staff Reading List #2
Matterhorn reminds me a little of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead in I had to look up to see if the books were fiction or non-fiction. I found Marlantes’ depiction of war that believable and visceral. While not an expert in any way, I have deployed twice so I understand some of what that means. Unlike the characters from Bravo Company in this novel, I never spent time “in the bush” and if I am being completely honest, they would look down on me […]
Army Chief of Staff Reading List #1
I read this book because it entered the Army Chief of Staff reading list last year. The author, David Kilcullen, begins by discussing his qualifications and more importantly, declares his biases or specifically, the lack thereof. Kilcullen is an Australian and acknowledges that he is not registered to vote in the United States nor does he affiliate with any particular party’s politics. Books like this often seem politicized so it was refreshing for the author to be so candid. In Blood Year, he is highly […]
What made, and still makes, America great.
First and foremost, I’m sorry for the sensationalized header. I hope I didn’t make your eyes twitch but I think it is an accurate title independent of the political climate. Back in February, I had the opportunity to ask a question to a Two-star Army General and I asked him what books he recommended. He said this was the most recent book he finished and that he highly recommended it so it entered the queue. A few months later, the Army Chief of Staff added […]
I wish my younger self could have read this book.
First and foremost, I love, maybe even adore, Coates writing. He manages to weave narrative with fact and emotion with such grace and power. If I could write like anyone, it would be Ta-Nehisi Coates. But I can’t write like Coates. Even if we wrote with the exact same words, I could not write like him because I am not him. For a long time, especially as a younger man, I believed that if I wanted to do something, it could be done and that […]
It was “Untold”, don’t let it be unheard.
The recommendation of a friend spurred the timing of my reading of The Outpost but I intended to read it for some time. It’s written by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and made me a fan of his for life. This is why it was originally a part of my to-read list: In 2009, I was deployed to Iraq. I’d been in the Army almost three years and I spent the majority of my deployment on a staff in Baghdad. I worked the night shift that […]
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