Eyes on the Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National Security (Hardcover)

~ Richard Myers (Author), Malcolm McConnell (Contributor)
Key Phrases: special operations forces, transportation command, computer network defense, Air Force, United States, Secretary Rumsfeld (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

General Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the critical four years following September 11, 2001, looks back over his career and provides a candid, revealing insider's view of the war on terror and proposing a bold new plan that will prepare America for the diverse national security challenges of the twenty-first century.

Growing up in Kansas as the son of hardworking, nononsense parents, General Richard Myers, a distinguished Air Force officer for more than forty years, learned early the value of steadfast integrity and selfless service. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2001 to 2005, he bore witness to the critical events that shaped America's defense policy in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In the days, weeks, and months that followed, he worked around the clock, helping to devise innovative, unprecedented strategies for the Bush administration's war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq and advising the president on tough, historic national security decisions.

In this captivating memoir, General Myers talks candidly about his career in the military, the unforgettable events of September 11, and the global war on terror. With an insider's perspective, he outlines the mistakes made by the White House, Pentagon leadership, and the intelligence community.

Myers believes that America has misidentified its adversary, focusing too narrowly on tactical battles, instead of on a long-range strategy that will overcome a global insurgency fueled by a struggle for control within Islam. The United States must rely not just on the military, but also on intelligence and other instruments of national power and work through extant governments to reverse the depiction of an American-led crusade against Muslims. Rather than identify what Islam should become, we must work with an international community that includes responsible non-Western states to protect against the behaviors we consider universally unacceptable -- especially those that promote violence against the U.S. and its allies or any other country or society affected by the struggle within Islam. Finally, Myers maintains we must integrate our own government agencies so that we can focus a sustained approach to this strategy.

Told with unfailing honesty, Eyes on the Horizon is an unforgettable memoir of one of our nation's highestranking officers and a courageous call for change that will strengthen American national security and defend a democratic way of life.

About the Author

General Richard B. Myers retird as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October, 2005, after serving over 40 years in the US Air Force. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, and a 1965 graduate of Kansas State University, General Myers has held command positions at every level, including Commander of US Space Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Pacific Air Forces, US Forces Japan, and two fighter wings. A fighter pilot with over 4,100 hous, General Myers logged more than 600 combat hours during the Vietnam conflict.

General Myers now sits on several public and non-profit boards and currently lectures nationally on national security issues and leadership. He is Foundation Professor of Military Histor and Leadership at Kansas State University and holds the Colin Powell Chair of Leadership, Ethics, and Character at National Defense University. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife, Mary Jo. They have two daughters and a son, and, to his great joy, a growing number of grandchildren.

Malcolm McConnell is the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller American Soldier with Tommy Franks and My Year in Iraq with L. Paul Bremer III.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Threshold Editions (March 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416560122
• ISBN-13: 978-1416560128
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RICK GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "PRES. AUTHORIZED *WEAPONS-FREE"-PERMISSION TO SHOOT DOWN THE HIJACKED PLANE IF IT THREATENS WHITE HOUSE , March 21, 2009

By	Rick Shaq Goldstein "Rick Shaq Goldstein" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is the autobiography of retired General Richard B. Myers former Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The author shares his life story that ranges from his fear of air planes as a child due to a plane crash near his home in Kansas through his college years at Kansas State University as an engineering student and member of the ROTC. The reader is led with intricate detail through Myers entire military career that took him from Second Lieutenant up through his retirement as a Four-Star-General and the honor of being the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff. As you accompany Myers on his military career... there are so many assignments and transfers (I lost count after twenty) that I'm reminded... as an honorably discharged Viet Nam era veteran... of one of the many reasons I didn't want to make the military a career. The General acknowledges the hardships that his forty-plus-year military career placed on his family... when he states with admiration... that at one point in time "I was especially proud of our oldest daughter, Nicole, who was starting her fourth high school in three years when we arrived at Langley."

One of the most interesting parts of the book was during the time the General was a young fighter pilot during the Viet Nam War. Not only his time in the cockpit... but his thorough analysis in hindsight... of what America could have done better during the war. As he and many others summarized about the Viet Nam conflict: "WE NEVER LOST A BATTLE... BUT WE LOST THE WAR." It is this straight-forward character trait... that really "grabs" the reader's attention throughout this literal history of America's last forty-years of military action. The author does not "blink-an-eye"... nor even flinch... when he points out..."TWO OF THE MOST GLARING - AND DISASTROUS - EXAMPLES OF MUDDLED OPERATIONS WERE THE FAILURE OF THE IRANIAN HOSTAGE RESCUE MISSION IN APRIL 1980 AND THE BADLY EXECUTED U.S. INVASION OF GRENADA IN OCTOBER 1983." He was also very disappointed in America's response to Bin Laden's terrorist attacks in 1998 which he described as meager... and the reaction to the Cole bombing in 2000. As Chairman of the Joint Chief's perhaps his biggest goal was to have all branches of the military and government to be able to work as one cohesive unit on any incident affecting America or its allies. Potential readers will of course have a deeply personal behind the scenes look at our nations shock and response to the greatest attack on our shores on 9/11. The reader will also be fully schooled on tense situations that are constantly in the news... but there is so much more involved than the average citizen knows... or contemplates. Such as the importance and delicacy of the border between North and South Korea.

"This was the world's tensest frontier, with almost TWO-MILLION North and South Korean and American forces confronting each other across the line. The North Koreans had deployed thousands of truck-mounted heavy rocket launchers and self-propelled artillery pieces in hardened cave shelters dug into the north slopes of the ridges, shielded from direct fire from the south. IF THEY CHOSE TO ATTACK, THE COMMUNISTS COULD UNLEASH A HOLOCAUST ON THE SPRAWLING SEOUL-INCHON NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA - HOME TO TWENTY-THREE-MILLION SOUTH KOREANS. INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATED THE NORTH KOREAN ARMY COULD FIRE BETWEEN FOUR-THOUSAND AND TEN-THOUSAND ROCKETS AND ARTILLERY SHELLS A *MINUTE* IN THE INITIAL SALVO ON GREATER SEOUL."

The areas where this excellent book tends to plod periodically is whenever the author describes... and/or defines... innumerable unit commands... government groups... associations... divisions... task forces... et al. ... there are so many acronyms... so many alpha-numeric titles... in addition to prefacing each full name with a rank and branch of service or government... all the way up and down endless chain of commands... that the reader feels like they're in a temporary staging area... waiting for the next exciting tour of recent military history. That is the only reason I gave this four-stars instead of five.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He knows what he is talking about..., April 26, 2009

By	Frank L. Tullis (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

General Richard Myers has the experience to back up his words. While not all sane folks would believe a fighter pilot, Myers has walked the walk his entire career--now he has the tickets to talk the talk. And we better listen--we are at war, regardless of what the politicians want to call it, and we better develop and understand the strategy necessary to win this war--the consequences of not doing so will leave a sad and bloody leagacy for our grand children. I just hope our political leadership is listening...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great accurate account of occurences in an exceptional career., March 31, 2009

By	Informed Reader (Serving proudly) - See all my reviews

This book is a chronological account of the major events and milestones within the career of Air Force General Richard B. Myers. It is an interesting and engaging read with detailed insight into the significance of many military positions. I found it to be insightful, current and respectful of the importance the U.S. Military plays on the global platform. Highly recommended read for any military or civilian personnel interested in learning the path to America's most senior military position. ***Unfortunately, the ignorance of ideological extremists will appear in the less informed, unintelligent reviews featured. The individual is no Marine. Nothing more than a dishonest disgrace to a great organization (USMC).***