Customer Reviews

Something to Die For

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Webb is one of the best military authors out there. This book combines both the soldiers' view of life, as in Fields of Fire, with the seamy side of military life; our senior military and political leadership. If you enjoy any of the Clancy-type military/political thrillers you will enjoy this book and realize Webb actually inserts some thought and insightful commentary while giving a good read.

Yep, you need to get this one. It's an excellent story about a battle that may very well happen - although the players may not be the same - the ground will be.

Well written - as usual.

I FIRST READ SECRETARY WEBB'S "SOMETHING TO DIE FOR" AS A HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN IN 1992. AT THE TIME, NOT UNDERSTANDING THE REAL MEANING OF THE NOVEL, I SIMPLY THOUGHT IT WAS A COOL ACTION-PACKED THRILLER. NOT UNTIL I READ MR. WEBB'S "A SENSE OF HONOR," AND TOOK HEED TO COL.DAVID HACKWORTH'S HIGH REGARD FOR THIS NAVY CROSS WINNING WARRIOR, DID I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS ALL ABOUT. THUS, I TOOK THE TIME OVER CHRISTMAS TO RE-READ "SOMETHING TO DIE FOR," AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS BITTER STINGING SATIRE AND WARNING ABOUT TODAY'S SOMALIAS,BOSNIAS AND MANY SO-CALLED "OPERATIONS OTHER THAN WAR." HAD THIS BEEN READ AS A CAUTION TO THE PENTAGON TICKET-PUNCHERS AND POLITICIANS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, WE WOULD NOT BE IN SUCH HOT WATER TODAY. COLONEL "WILD BILL" FOGARTY REPRESENTS THE CREAM OF TODAY'S WARRIOR. HAVING FOUGHT AND BLED IN VIETNAM AND OTHER DISTANT LANDS, HE KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO SEND HIS MEN OFF TO DIE. WHILE HE IS MORE THAN WILLING TO DIE FOR HIS COUNTRY,HE DOES NOT WANT TO SEE HIS MEN DIE IN VAIN. "THAT'S VITAL. SOMETHING TO DIE FOR." ADMIRAL "MAD DOG" MULCAHY REMINDS ME A LOT OF GLORY-SEEKING AND POLITICALLY CORRECT JCS CHAIRMAN SHALIKASHVILLI. DYING TO FEEL THE GLORY SIMILAR TO THE MIDWAYS, THE CORAL SEAS AND THE LIKE BEFORE RETIRING, HE DECIDES TO RUN HIS LITTLE WAR WITHOUT THE AUTHORIZATION FROM THE TOP. HOWEVER, HIS GRANDIOSE CAMPAIGN ENDS IN DISASTER, KILLING SCORES OF MARINES, INCLUDING FOGARTY. OF COURSE, THE IRONY OF IT ALL IS THAT WHILE SHALIKASHVILLI GETS AWAY FROM THE DEBACLE IN SOMALIA, MULCAHY IS RELIEVED FROM HIS POST. SO MUCH FOR HIS GLORY. SELF-SERVING POLITICIANS LIKE HOLCOMB, LODGE AND "DOC" ADD TO THE STORY ANOTHER DIMENSION. IT IS THEY WHO COMPROMISE THE WARRIORS FOR THEIR OWN INTEREST. JUST AS CLINTON "HONORABLY" WITHDREW FROM SOMALIA, THEY DUB THE FIASCO "OPERATION JUSTIFIABLE ANGER," AND ATTEMPT SHUT IT FROM THE PUBLIC MEMORY. WHILE THE WARRIORS GOT LITTLE MORE THAN A HAND OF ASHES, DRAMATIZED BY POST-HUMOUS MEDAL OF HONOR CEREMONY FOR FOGARTY, THE GREEDY POLITICIANS TRIED TO TURN THIS FIASCO INTO GLORY. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING IN THE WORLD OF WARRIORS, SHUT OFF THE MEDIA BULLSHIT ABOUT THE DESERT STORM AND READ JAMES WEBB. THE MILITARY TODAY ISN'T ABOUT WHAT TOM CLANCY AND THE MEDIA SAY IT IS.

Well written and fast moving. This writer has a way with words and a firm grasp of the English language. His character development leaves no question about the characters relationships.

This is an outstanding book by someone who has "been there, done that" from the battlefield to the Pentagon, to the U.S. Senate. The novel reads like something right out of today's headlines even though it was written in 1990. In this book we have a detached President who lets his arrogant Secretary of Defense start a minor war to distract attention from a brewing scandal. We have defense contractors who care more about profits than patriotism. And as with Iraq, the war doesn't go as smoothly as the Sec Def thought it would and a lot of young marines get killed. The administration then does what they do best, blame shifting, spin control, covering up, etc. It will be interesting to see what Senator Webb does now that he has to be a politician instead of just depicting them in works of fiction.

The Author combines all of his experience as a soldier and diplomat with inside knowledge of the workings of the Pentagon, to an ultimate conclusion with an immaginary battle front but one that could very well happen and in a manner that is not at all beyond the bounds of credibillity.
We are introduced to a career soldier who is in charge of a Marine Expeditionary Force and called upon to finish a job that was started by an Admiral looking for his last hurrah and extra star. The torturous workings of the Pentagon scrutinized and politicized by the Executive Branch is manipulated by someone who is intimate with it all but schemes to circumvent the process so as to go out in a blaze of glory. Within the comfortable confines of his desk chair of course.
The people "on the ground" that have to deal with the actual hell of combat are practically left to their own devices because the heads of governments want to hush up this little "Dust-Up" because they have found out that this international crisis has been manufactured in large part by the Admiral working on his Fifth Star.
The point of the story is as the title says, a soldier needs to have "something to die for". They follow orders without questioning their validity or the scurulous manner in which some of those orders have been cut.They know that their job is to get into "Harms Way" for the good of their Country. That, for them is a good enough reason to die for.
The story however, puts us into the dust, the dirt, the blood and agony of combat while showing the gallentry of brother in arms and their moral code of protecting the native land. We also feel the depths of betrayal by the politicians and leaves us asking the question Why? This time there wasn't "Something To Die For".
A great Book and a proud addition to my Book Shelf.

A heart wrenching riveting tale that every veteran will have that soul cleansing tearful experience with. James Webb captures the very essence of what it is to be an American fighting in the forces that guard our way of life. He captures the clay feet of our leaders, their oft mistaken tasking of our military, and our veterans sacrifice on the alter of history. The book provides an up close out the window look at a juncture in time when the stories in this book were happening in real life, which is today, tomorrow, and yesterday...

The junior Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia has been in the news as a potential VP candidate to share the Democratic ticket with Senator Obama. So this seems like an opportune time to write about another of his outstanding works of fiction. (I am not referring to the Federal budget, but one of the novels he has penned over the years!) I found his writing so compelling that I am committed to reading all of his published works.

"Something To Die For" is not only well written; it is timely. Webb, the much-decorated Marine who fought in Vietnam, wrote this novel back in 1991. The subject matter involves an ex-Marine who has to choose whether or not to stand for election to Congress from Virginia. How prescient! I agree wholeheartedly with the comments made by the Washington Post Book World when this novel was first published: "Webb is not only a writer of war thriller; he is a genuine novelist of ideas. . . A century hence, James Webb will be studied for the light he sheds on military life and civil-military relations at the climax of the American Century." As we struggle with how to help veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to re-integrate into civil society, Webb's book becomes even more relevant to the mainstream of American life than it was when it was first published in the `90's.

This exchange early in the book reflects the sensibilities of a warrior who watched too many of his comrades die needlessly in the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia:

"As they discussed future needs for amphibious sealift, General Betti had begun to disagree with a young assistant secretary of defense on the likelihood of Third World conflicts in the near future. General Betti had begun, `Mr. Secretary, I disagree. I think -`

And the Young man with the round lawyer's glasses and the pink shirt with its yellow power tie had cut the career infantryman off with a wave of the hand. `Well, that's the problem, General. You are not paid to think.'

And neither am I, thought Fogarty as he finally answered the Admiral. `Of course I'm on board, sir. I'm a professional, you know that. But if we fight an armored column of Cubans in the desert it's going to cost us. And I'd like to be able to tell my men that the price they're going to pay is worth it. That it's important to the country. Vital. Something to die for.'" (Page 72)

A quotation near the end of the novel provides some fascinating insight into the views of the future Senator into the workings of Washington machinery:

"You may wonder why the President keeps listening to someone like Rowland, when he behaves so obscenely. That's easy. It's because Rowland has answers, and he knows how to get things done. Even when, sometimes, the wrong things get done, or the right things get done for the wrong reasons. Government requires motion, perhaps even more than wisdom. And there is a constant temptation to depend on those who know how to keep it moving, rather than demanding that it stay on any particular course. But I suppose that's the grand conundrum, isn't it?" (Page 382)

This book is worth reading on several levels. It stands on its own as a piece of fiction that tells a tale of characters the readers comes to care about. It also provides some glimpses - through intricately shaded stained glass windows - into the mind of one of the 100 citizens whom we have entrusted to run the upper house of the Legislative branch of our federal government.

Enjoy.

Al

Unless you are a real fan of "unbelievable" thrillers I would give this one a miss. Webb's Fields of Fire is, by a wide margin, his best. All the follow-on writings have not lived up to it.