Customer Reviews

Words for Warriors

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Words for Warriors is a delight to anyone interested in why we professionals do what we do. One reviewer called Puckett's book "inspirational reading for future generals," but it is not. This is not the sort of book which paints dry generalities for ROTC and ACSC students, nor is it an autobiography. Rather, it is a well-edited narrative of Ralph Puckett's real-life encounters with the military and political world. It places the reader into the You-Are-There. This is hands-on stuff.
Let's get right to the action. On 25 November 1950, the Chinese Army had just entered the Korean War. First Lieutenant Ralph Puckett was there commanding the 8th Army Ranger Company, a unit composed of only 47 U.S. soldiers and 9 South Korean KATUSA nationals. During the evening of 25 November and early morning of 26 November, Puckett's Rangers fought off 5 head-on assaults of over 500 Chinese in hand-to-hand bayonet fighting and bugle led-charges which continued through the night. Chinese army losses were appalling. When, owing only to lack of artillery support, the Company was overrun by 6th charge, Puckett was severely wounded and against his protests was finally dragged to safety by his NCOs. By the next morning, only 26 Rangers were left standing. For their actions, his two NCOs were awarded the Silver Star, and Lieutenant Ralph Puckett himself was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Here's the lesson from Words for Warriors. Puckett knew from the beginning that an officer's first responsibility is to his soldiers, and he must surround himself with talent. I can't tell you how many times I have seen that rule violated by officers whose first responsibility was to the protecting of their own careers. To wit, the sad, sad case of the recent prisoner humiliation and torture scenes at the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prison was not, in the words of politicians, the isolated act "of a few bad apples." To the contrary, it was a clear case of officers' abandonment of duty. This scandal would never have happened if the superior officers had followed Puckett's examples.
Puckett is decidedly neutral in passing out both praise and criticism. While he not hesitant to praise past and present generals, privates, and politicians who have done their duties well, he is also not afraid to point out where generals, privates, and politicians have screwed up. What's more, he's not afraid to list them by name, current leaders included.
Words for Warriors is a collection of 85 short thought-pieces, anecdotes, humor, and combat narratives. It is well-edited into sections, but any one chapter can be read as a stand-alone piece, and each story has its own lesson. And I'm forever grateful that Puckett has included an Index, so anyone can do a quick research on topics anywhere from Agincourt to Apaches to Afghanistan. (Puckett is also well-versed on the Near East.)
Words for Warriors is well-researched and footnoted, for Puckett can cite Chaucer as well as Cheney. He offers chapters which look realistically at the past and equally as well guarded to the future of the U.S. military and our country.
Oh -- and did I mention Ralph Puckett was awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross in Vietnam? To find out more about that one, read the book.

Frederick Malmstrom, Ph.D.
U.S. Air Force Academy

When I was a college student in the early 60's I thought it rather odd that one of the required readings for a management class was the book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
I had just completed an Army enlistment and thought I was done with military topics.
I soon learned why that book was studied in management classes and is considered a classic study of competition and conflict in general.
The book by Ralph Puckett (Col. USA Ret) "Words for Warriors" like "The Art of War" is not just for military leaders.
Executives, managers and would be managers will find it an invaluable asset in learning how to lead. Whether it is leading a corporate board or a shift crew at a fast food restaurant, the reader will find topics relevant to the situation.
Col. Puckett, whom I had the honor to serve under, is a professional soldier, and a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy. He spent virtually his entire career leading troops in peace and war. He recounts many of his personal experiences, as well as those of other military professionals, and how each relates to the end product of "getting the job done." Sections such as training, taking care of soldiers (employees), personal life, strategy and goals are broken down into easy to read and understand incidents. The book is an easy read, and is clear and concise. In addition to being a very interesting and informative book, I would also recommend it as a reference book to be consulted often by anyone who wants to be a leader that "gets the job done."

Solid story-telling combined with hard-earned wisdom makes this one of the best books on leadership that I have ever read. Bursting with the guidance of great leaders throughout history, this effortless read will make a difference in the business world and with parents training adolescents with life skills. It contains the crucial elements of leadership success and the tools to inspire others to achieve superior results.

Col. (Ret.) Puckett is a superb communicator, and delivers delivers the hard-earned wisdom attained from his many years leading Rangers in preparation for battle in Korea and in the jungles of Vietnam. In 1950, fresh out of West Point, Lt. Puckett led the 47 men of the 8th Ranger Company ahead of the 25th Infantry Division, and repelled 5 assaults by much larger Chinese forces. Wounded severely in the battle, Puckett didn't order his men to pull back until the 6th assault. Too injured to move, Puckett stayed behind to fight. Later, two of his Rangers returned to drag him back to safety. After Korea, Puckett commanded the Mountain Ranger Division and organized a school for Columbia's Rangers."*

He received a Distinguished Service Cross for the action in Korea and a second in the Republic of Vietnam. Before he retired in 1971, Puckett was recognized as on the nation's most decorated soldiers, with 2 Silver Stars, 3 Legions of Merit, 2 Bronze Stars, the Commendation Medal, 10 Air Medals, 5 Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Graduate Award from West Point, and the infantry's Doughboy Award (joining the ranks of eminent leaders such as Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. Matthew Ridgway, LTG Hal Moore and H. Ross Perot).

As one who has survived brutal engagements and has seen the precepts of the great military leaders put to the test, Col. Puckett's zeal for building great leaders comes through on every page. In our family's consumer product business, this book would have really helped me in my early years to lead my 100-plus `troops' successfully.

WFW centers on the training of the Unit Leader, the most critical management position in any organization; if he fails, the entire organization fails. Managers of all fields will benefit from this inspiring collection of essays, and the focus on key subject areas (such as Command and Staff, Unit Training, Personal Development, and The Goal).

Col. Puckett's conversational tone will infect you with his passion for making subordinate officers strong and successful ... and give you an immersive experience of leadership principles in action. His personal story blended with the advice of military greats like Alexander, Napoleon and Eisenhower make the pages come to life and will remind you why Col. Puckett has received many of the highest leadership awards the Army bestows.

For the last 10 years, he has served as Honorary Colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment - coaching Rangers in training and on the field in Afghanistan and Iraq. Col. Richard Clarke, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, says of Ralph Puckett: "No other Ranger in the history of the Rangers has influenced as many Soldiers as he has."

Words for Warriors will stay with me as an inspiration and a reference for years to come. In the words of famed Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore, this is "the absolute best book on military leadership that I have ever read."

"Words for Warriors" is a jewel. It is instructive, entertaining, inspirational and full of wisdom. Colonel Ralph Puckett is writing about what he knows and all readers will recognize the great value of this book.

Charles Y. Massey

In this book a soldier wounded five times in Korea and Vietnam, one of the finest combat leaders of our time, and the epitome of a Ranger shares with us what it takes to make a difference at the point of the spear. Colonel Puckett elegantly and succinctly presents the keys to victory with honor. Every NCO and young officer should read Words for Warriors before they face the most demanding moments of their lives. It captures the essence of what it takes to lead others in combat.




This book was written as a notebook for the professional soldier, yet it has broader applications. It should be used as a guide by anyone dedicated to success, and on the "front line", in our current struggles against the worldwide Islamic movement known as the Third Jihad and against the postmodernists that are attempting to deconstruct Western Culture.

I'm halfway through this book and can't say enough about how it has helped me so far..... Any soldier, sailor, airman, or marine, at any level in their career, can use this great book written by a great leader. IT WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER LEADER!!!

My son graduated from West Point May this year and is heading to Ranger school in 2011....I came across Words for Warriors through Baxter Edwards...and (I believe) not by chance. After reading Ralph Puckett's "handbook" I realized it was the perfect book to give a young 2nd Lt...coming outta West Point...I expect this book will be a great tool as (Jon) transitions from the classroom and "learning" to the field and "leading".

Mr. Puckett, you have done many great things in your life...add helping this father, father. Thank you sir..for your service and for Words for Warriors.

marcus sizemore
Atlanta, Ga.

An excellent book on what it takes to make a LEADER. Whether in civilian life or the military
the points addressed have a common applicable thread. It must be understood that this
is from the position of one who is willing to LEAD.

Note :Tacit administrators and simple facilitators have
much to learn in the topics addressed.

This is an outstanding collection of vignettes by a true American hero and warrior, COL Ralph Puckett. His story is compelling, his accomplishments astounding and we are fortunate that he has shared his experience in writing. However, the ones who will get the most value from this book are junior leaders and its lessons very basic. That doesn't diminish their value, but the impact may not match expectations.

The "warriors" who will gain the most from this book are Cadets, Soldiers preparing to become Noncommissioned Officers and Lieutenants preparing to take a leadership position. Company Commanders and senior NCOs could use this book as a building block for junior leader development, but will not find any great revelations for their personal development.

Another potential audience is outside of the military. This book gives some great, compact, concise, plain English illustrations of how military leadership "works". Anyone who admires military leadership and wants to emulate it in their own organization will find some great benchmarks to compare their industry to.

A lot of his advice is born out of a different military - one that was fractured by race, class, gender, education and conscription. While those issues are still relevant today, the military has internalized their impact and conducts formal training to drive home many of the broad generalizations COL Puckett illustrates through personal vignettes. Especially after nine years of continuous combat, the lessons taught in these pages are already being learned in the field firsthand. The best examples shine through the years, but some seem rather out of touch considering how today's military operates.

A lot of what COL Puckett says has been said before. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth repeating.

I wish I had "Words for Warriors: A Professional Soldier's Notebook" forty years ago when I graduated from West Point. As a freshly minted second lieutenant, I had just studied over the course of four years more than a few of the topics Colonel Puckett writes about. As well, I had been blessed by having him as my regimental tactical officer. But, at the time, nowhere had I found the concentrated knowledge of hands-on leadership that exists now in this book.

Through a collection of eighty-five essays, Colonel Puckett gives us a brief tour of his storied lifetime in leadership, one where he not only learns from his own experiences but from those of others. As he searches out and identifies the winning ways of best practices, we see at work the mind of a soldier who has willed himself to become one of the best of the best. In a 360 degree, behind-the-stage view of great leadership, he takes us from tough-love individual training to transforming the Army and combating terrorism. All the while he summons the ghosts of military heroes, ancient and modern, to aptly speak their sound bites. Acknowledging them and standing upon their shoulders, this giant of a servant-leader, this master's master of the art of combat leadership, offers us this invaluable gift of a book to let us stand upon his shoulders. His essays on After-Action Reports ("How can we do better next time?"- then practice) and "How Can We Develop Courage?" are each alone worth the price of admission.

I urge you to buy "Words for Warriors," if not for yourself, but for your sons and daughters and anyone else you know heading off to defend our nation. If I had to go to war again, I'd want to serve under Colonel Puckett!