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“The fighting had gone quicker than anyone had hoped and cost far less than anyone had feared. What came next? It all went back to that old question: Who was the enemy?”
This point — “Who was the enemy?’’ drives this story. Bolger, sincere, loyal, concerned, determined — sees this one fundamental puzzle — as the sand that leads to collapse. Repeats this question about a dozen times. Never finds or provides answer. He thinks no one did or can . . .
Bolger is educated, thoughtful, analytical. Shows a depth of insight and breadth of understanding . . .
“White House officials Andrew Card, Michael Gerson, and Karl Rove clearly had orchestrated a dramatic scene. But in more than one way, the real producers were Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. You just sensed where this thing was headed. The imperious nineteenth-century German statesman Otto von Bismarck said it well: “You know where a war begins but you never know where it ends.” Bismarck understood. Rhetoric, signage, and fond hopes aside, the Iraq campaign did not end on a carrier deck.’’
History can teach . . .
“Our primary failing in the war involved generalship. If you prefer the war-college lexicon, we—guys like me—demonstrated poor strategic and operational leadership. For soldiers, strategy and operational art translate to “the big picture” (your goal) and “the plan” (how you get there). We got both wrong, the latter more than the former. Some might blame the elected and appointed civilian leaders. There’s enough fault to go around, and in this telling, the suits will get their share. But I know better, and so do the rest of the generals. We have been trained and educated all our lives on how to fight and win. This was our war to lose, and we did. We should have known better.’’
Wow! ( . . . so . . . so . . . real . . . )
“In the military schools, like West Point, Fort Leavenworth, Quantico, and Carlisle Barracks, soldiers study the work of the great thinkers who have wrestled with winning wars across the ages. Along with Thucydides, Julius Caesar, and Carl von Clausewitz, the instructors introduce the ancient wisdom of Sun Tzu, the Chinese general and theorist who penned his poetic, elliptical, sometimes cryptic Art of War some twenty-three centuries ago. Master Sun put it simply . . .
“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril”
“We failed on both counts. I know I sure did. As generals, we did not know our enemy—never pinned him down, never focused our efforts, and got all too good at making new opponents before we’d handled the old ones.’’
Man . . . just . . . just . . . astounding!
“Despite the unmatched courage of those in U.S. uniform—including a good number of generals who led their people under fire—our generals did not stumble due to a lack of intellect. Rather, we faltered due to a distinct lack of humility. Certain we knew best, confident our skilled troops would prevail, we persisted in a failed course for far too long and came up well short, to the detriment of our trusting countrymen.’’
‘Failure from lack of humility’! ( well . . . I know that feeling personally . . . )
“Time after time, despite the fact that I and my fellow generals saw it wasn’t working, we failed to reconsider our basic assumptions. We failed to question our flawed understanding of our foe or ourselves. We simply asked for more time. Given enough months, then years, then decades—always just a few more, please—we trusted that our great men and women would pull it out. In the end, all the courage and skill in the world could not overcome ignorance and arrogance. As a general, I got it wrong. And I did so in the company of my peers.’’
‘Courage and skill lose to arrogance’. Reality is real. Truth is true. (Hard to believe. Harder to apply.)
“As for myself, I make no excuse. I’m just a soldier who tried, got a few things right, but, in the end, failed. If I remind you of anyone at all, maybe it’s Joe Stilwell, “Vinegar Joe,” of the China-Burma-India theater in World War II. He told it like it was, eventually got sent home for it.’’
TRIUMPH
Harbingers 9/ 11
The Hindu Kush
Anaconda
A Weapon of Mass Destruction
Apocalypse Then
Redux
HUBRIS
“Mission Accomplished”
What Happened in Fallujah
The Color Purple
Implosion
Malik Daoud
Requiem on the Tigris
NEMESIS
Undone
The Good War
Taliban Heartland
Malik Daoud Again
Attrition
Green on Blue
Bolger feels deeply for the soldiers who fought with him side-by-side. Relates several heart wrenching accounts — courage, suffering, frustration, breakdown, heroism, etc., etc., are all here.
Great!
Another highlight is the forthright (blunt) analysis of prominent leaders. Focuses on the military, since that is his experience. Not slanderous or condemning — presents both the wise decisions and good motives — and foolish decisions and bad motivations. Goes deeper than surface appearance, reveals the inner man.
Fascinating!
Also, includes some explanations of the political/cultural/sociological influences — both western and eastern. Brief, clear and enlightening. Well done.
Bolger’s story closer to a outstanding mystery/thriller/detective screenplay than pedantic history.
About forty excellent color photographs.
Hundreds of notes (linked)
Detailed index (linked)
- Hardcover: 544 pages
- Publisher: Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (November 11, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9780544370487
- ISBN-13: 978-0544370487
- ASIN: 0544370481
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.8 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Customer Reviews: 176 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#707,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #810 in Iraq War History (Books)
- #455 in Afghan War Military History
- #1241 in Terrorism (Books)
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