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About Face: Odyssey of an American Warrior Hardcover – January 1, 1989

by David H. Hackworth (Author), Julie Sherman (Author)

4.9 2,870 ratings

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Called “everything a twentieth century war memoir could possibly be” by The New York Times, this national bestseller by Colonel David H. Hackworth presents a vivid and powerful portrait of a life of patriotism. From age fifteen to forty David Hackworth devoted himself to the US Army and fast became a living legend. In 1971, however, he appeared on television to decry the doomed war effort in Vietnam. With About Face, he has written what many Vietnam veterans have called the most important book of their generation. From Korea to Berlin, from the Cuban missile crisis to Vietnam, Hackworth’s story is that of an exemplary patriot, played out against the backdrop of the changing fortunes of America and the American military. It is also a stunning indictment of the Pentagon’s fundamental misunderstanding of the Vietnam conflict and of the bureaucracy of self-interest that fueled the war.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A battle-scarred veteran of Korea, Hackworth served successive tours in Vietnam, becoming increasingly alarmed by declining standards in the Army and the dead-end policy in Southeast Asia. Matters came to a head during a 1971 television interview in which he criticized Army leadership, training and tactics in the field. For this the colonel was shamefully hounded into premature retirement, a potential Army superstar who was suddenly perceived as a dangerous renegade, according to this memoir written with freelancer Sherman. The engrossing autobiography of a fierce and fiercely outspoken warrior, it is also an inside account of the demoralization of a once-proud army during a period when "no one could afford to tell the truth, make an error, or admit to ignorance." The colonel makes sweeping condemnations in this passionate, profane, sometimes intemperate book (admirers of military historian S.L.A. Marshall will cringe at Hackworth's savage attack). In the end he calls the army "this rotten whore I'd been in love with for twenty years." Photos. Military Book Club main selection; author tour.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Authentic combat leaders--the real warriors--are apt to be professional misfits, especially off the battlefield. In this book America's most decorated living soldier tells his life story in formidable detail with outstanding battlefield realism. Colonel Hackworth left the Army and went into exile over the conduct of the Vietnam War. Like all good autobiographies, his often tells more than he intended. This is as earnest and self-revealing as Anthony B. Herbert's Herbert: The Making of a Soldier (LJ 9/1/82), but less laconic. A rousing good book which will be useful to military professionals as well. Military Book Club main selection.
- Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Los Angeles
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; First Edition (January 1, 1989)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 875 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671526928
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671526924
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.74 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #233,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Korean War Personal Narratives
- #3,328 in Engineering (Books)
- #7,837 in Politics & Government (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.9 2,870 ratings

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2,870 global ratings

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Customers find the book engaging and informative. They find the hero story compelling and relatable. The account is believable and honest, with humor and entertaining moments. Readers describe the writing style as approachable and unvarnished. While some find it long, others enjoy reading all 800+ pages.

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Readability Insight Hero story Authenticity Humor Style Length

114 customers mention "Readability"114 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a required reading for military personnel, and it documents the author's journey from being a young man to becoming an Army officer. The book is also known as the Soldier's Bible and details the story of a teenage boy who lied about his age to join the merchant marines.

"I've read this book several times, and it is the best military careerist book I've ever heard of...." Read more

"...But every page is worth reading. Every word is worth seeing. And most of all, it is all worth thinking about...." Read more

"I greatly enjoyed this book. Having spent a part of my youth in an airborne infantry unit, made it all that much easier to relate to...." Read more

"...Any history buff will thoroughly enjoy this book!" Read more

87 customers mention "Insight"87 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening and interesting. They find it relatable and a compelling inside account of America's wars from WWII to the present. The book provides useful insights from the author's leadership experience, including his strengths and fallacies.

"...and goings throughout his 25-year career, and is an exciting read over every page of the book!" Read more

"...of Hackworth, the Army, or the United States, this book is as much worth reading as any other soldier's memoir in existence." Read more

"..."war stories" or non-conforming, rebel personalities, this book will keep your attention." Read more

"...Wise words gained from experience in leadership, loss, and victory. Any history buff will thoroughly enjoy this book!" Read more

45 customers mention "Hero story"45 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the hero story. They find it engaging and well-written. Readers appreciate the author's honesty about his military experiences, including both good and bad ones. The book covers a wide range of topics, from World War II to post-Vietnam.

"...But he was also possesive of many, many good traits and characteristics, and this book shows that too...." Read more

"...Tales of his courage, love of the Army and his failings, recounting his life with the US Army...." Read more

"Col Hackworth served a very distinguished career. This book provides an overall history of his career...." Read more

"Great American patriotic solider" Read more

11 customers mention "Authenticity"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book authentic. They say the stories are factual and well-portrayed. The book is a solid reference that depicts the hazing and monotony of military life.

"...entertaining and he is very honest about his good and bad experiences in the military." Read more

"This book is hilarious at times and depicts the hazing and monotony of military life so often left out of military memoirs...." Read more

"...of leadership and the costs of resisting the status-quo and speaking the truth. Col. Hackworth was an American warrior in both mind and spirit...." Read more

"Loved the history and stories of realism relating to the Army. Love Col. David Hackworths life. My Dad is also in this book!" Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find it entertaining with humorous escapades and action. The book also provides useful information.

"...It's a long book, but extremely entertaining and he is very honest about his good and bad experiences in the military." Read more

"This book is hilarious at times and depicts the hazing and monotony of military life so often left out of military memoirs...." Read more

"...and even paragraph is packed with something incredible or shocking or humorous. MUST read." Read more

"...enjoyable, there was plenty of descriptive action along with many humorous escapades...." Read more

5 customers mention "Style"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style. They find it well-written and approachable, with an honest look at ground combat. The book is described as one of the best in its genre.

"...with my collection including over 120 books, this still stands out as one of the best. "..." Read more

"...Europe, the Korean War and Vietnam War through the eyes of a highly decorated Soldier. Col...." Read more

"Arrived fast and very nice looking book. Thank you" Read more

"...Hackworth's insights on ground combat is a unvarnished look at a dirty and dangerous undertaking." Read more

19 customers mention "Length"9 positive10 negative

Customers have different views on the book's length. Some find it engaging and read it in a few weeks, while others feel it's too long and wish for a kindle version.

"I have read this massive book twice, once during my Army career and again after I retired. It holds up 30 years after it was published...." Read more

"...It is a very long book, but it marks his comings and goings throughout his 25-year career, and is an exciting read over every page of the book!" Read more

"...I really enjoyed reading all 800+ pages and it left me really thinking about what Col. Hackworth was trying to get across...." Read more

"...His book was just 800+ pages of whining, not much different than what a PVT does...." Read more

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Tyler
Hackworth, the inspiration!
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2010
Verified Purchase
I've read this book several times, and it is the best military careerist book I've ever heard of. Hackworth was one of our most heavily decorated veterans, having joined the Army at 15, and he describes in vivid detail of what his life spiraled into for the next 25 years.

1946--Joins the Army and assigned to the Army of Occupation at Trieste, Italy. Soon rises to corporal and then even sergeant.

1950--Deployed to Korea with Army Recon during Chinese intervention. Was in one of the last units to depart Seoul as the Chinese watched from the hills.

1951--Deserts in disgust from Recon unit and joins the 9th "Wolfhound" Regiment with G Company. Wounded in February and soon returns to duty before offered a commission as 2LT from Division, which Hackworth grudgingly accepts. But he soon finds his place as an officer and gains much respect from the enlisted men. After many sharp firefights, promoted to 1LT and is given by Col. Sloane the "Raiders", his own independent command of 40+ men and his pick of many missions. After a devastating firefight with many casualties, Hackworth is wounded and soon sent home.

1952-53--Attends Officer Courses at Fort Benning, GA before deploying back to Korea as Company commander in a NG California unit, much to his disgust. Soon promoted to captain(with a very hilarious reaction to his rise in rank)and serves out the rest of his tour in Korea during the peace talks and firefights with the enemy.

1953-55--Hackworth goes into the Reserves while attending college in the States.

1955-56--Hackworth joins an antiaircraft unit at Manhattan Beach, CA, driving his men and superiors crazy with his strict attention to detail and driving civilians crazy with his required morning runs. Witnesses the tragic end of many careers in the Army's "Reductions In Force" program, describing how a full-Colonel is downgraded to stocking PX shelves as a lowly staff sergeant. Soon moved up to HQ Battery, commanding over 400 men.

1957--Marries Patty Leonard, a soon-to-be nurse.

1959-60--Assigned to Corporal Missile Course at Fort Sill, OK. Deals with problems involving the revoking of his security clearance with his application to Regular Army. Soon assigned to Germany at Nurnberg Post and then a staff position at Command HQ.

1961--Reports to 8th Div., 18th Infantry at Mannheim under Col. Glover Johns. As 110,000 East German troops and 20 divisions of Soviet troops threaten West Berlin, Hackworth and Johns take part in the American task force that is sent to relieve West Berlin in the latest crisis under the barrels of looming Communist tanks. They reach the city without incident, to the fanfare of gleeful citizens.

1962-64--Takes command of the support company of the battlegroup. Johns is relieved of command and reassigned, much to Hackworth's chagrin. Promoted to Major in July,'62 and reassigned to deputy of the 1/18th, much to his surprise since he is the junior-ranking Major among the unit. Sent to Fort Campbell, KY with the 101st Airborne in the fall and attends the Infantry Career Course and becomes G4 Operations Officer in logistics.

1965--Assigned to South Vietnam with 1st Brigade of the 101st, operating near An Khe and Qui Nhon. Gets assigned as battalion executive officer at the new permanent base camp at Phan Rang.

1966--Reassigned to position as Brigade XO, much to his astonishment. Then becomes acting battalion commander towards the end of his tour. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel and assigned to the Pentagon at the Office of Personnel Operations. Soon, with permission from Chief of Staff Gen. Johnson, accompanies the Army historian S.L.A.(Slam)Marshall back to Vietnam for army research based on the war effort. This is where Hackworth learns most of the facts on how the war is going personally on this four-month tour.

1967-68--Hackworth plays a part in creating a "sergeant" course to counter the NCO shortage in Vietnam. Becomes part of the "Speakers Bureau" to sell the war effort in Vietnam to the public. Becomes bitter about his part in the war when the Tet Offensive occurs. Rejects the offer by "Slam" Marshall to go back to Vietnam with him for another tour of the war. Becoming more disillusioned with the war, Hackworth rejects a G3 staff position under Gen. Zais and threatens to retire from the Army. Days from the retirement taking place, he changes his mind and takes a battalion command tour under Gen. Larsen at Fort Lewis, WA.

1969-70--Despite qualifying for the Army War College and protests from Personnel paper-pushers, Hackworth accepts command of a battalion in Vietnam under Gen. Ewell in the Mekong Delta. He pushes the men so roughly, the enlisted men actually place a bounty on his head in the beginning. Hackworth deals with the daily risk to his men and a pompous brigade-commanding Colonel in his routines. When Hackworth declines the offer to be Gen. Ewell's G3, Ewell takes Hackworth out of the list of those able to command a brigade in Vietnam. He moves to work under Gen. Timothy at Pleiku under the effort of turning the war back over to the Vietnamese. With the Army life taking a toll on his marriage, Hackworth finally calls it quits and files for divorce, turning down another offer to attend War College since he doesn't want to be a general.

1971--While the war expands into Laos, Hackworth is promoted to full-Colonel and begins dating a girl named Jenny Bates during an R&R in Australia. Shortly after his promotion, the disillusioned Hackworth begins an interview with ABC reporter Howard Tuckner, which goes live throughout Vietnam and the States about the truth behind the U.S. Army's policies of war in Vietnam(fake body counts and the much-dismaying ticket-punchers, including casualty lists of friendly-fire). While Hackworth busily then puts in his papers for early-retirement, the Army retaliates by attempting to hold him in Vietnam, and upon his return to the States, tail him with Army agents wherever he goes. Finally manages to retire on Sept. 28 and moves to Spain in self-exile with Jenny, later moving on to Australia.

It is a very long book, but it marks his comings and goings throughout his 25-year career, and is an exciting read over every page of the book!

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Alan C.
"Hackworth, you son of a blank!"
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2010
Verified Purchase
About midway to late in 2009, I went on a spree of book-buying, mostly on Amazon. This is but one of many titles I collected during that period. And even now, with my collection including over 120 books, this still stands out as one of the best.

"About Face" is one of a number of books written by Colonel David Hackworth, US Army. It was first published in this form, a hardcover, in 1989. So far as I know. The dustcover has a curious pinkish color to it, certainly different from the solid navy blue of Admiral King's "A Naval Record". And the book's unusual nature hardly stops there. Open it up at the back and flip a few pages towards the front, and there here it is- at a whopping 875 pages, the very end of Colonel David H. Hackworth's "About Face". Nearly a thousand pages in length, this is one of the longest books I've ever read, regardless of type or subject.
But every page is worth reading. Every word is worth seeing. And most of all, it is all worth thinking about. Colonel Hackworth was not much of a gentleman by most standards- the book details the rough-and-tumble, hell-for-leather way in which he most always preferred to live. He was always getting into some kind of trouble, always fighting somebody or something somewhere at sometime. And with over 100 decorations and Colonel's wings, Hackworth was nothing if not a fighter. He might not have been satisfactory in the eyes of well-groomed, gentlemanly West Point and VMI graduates- absolutely no disrespect to them intended- but Hackworth was a lot like Audie Murphy, I believe. He simply had no time for the BS. And if his outspoken, direct manner sometimes offended people, then so be it.

Regardless of what you think of him and soldiers in general, "About Face" is exactly what its cover says- the odyssey of an American warrior. Not a soldier. A warrior. That's how Hackworth always preferred to be known, and it seems to me "warrior" is a more accurate description of who he was. This book tells the story of the career of a man who loved the Army more than anything, and despite his fierce nature, he was deeply hurt and confused when the Army wronged or turned against him. Hackworth was deeply flawed, and I don't think he could have hidden that if he'd wanted to. But he was also possesive of many, many good traits and characteristics, and this book shows that too. No matter what your opinion of Hackworth, the Army, or the United States, this book is as much worth reading as any other soldier's memoir in existence.

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Fox Trot
A soldier's book
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
I greatly enjoyed this book. Having spent a part of my youth in an airborne infantry unit, made it all that much easier to relate to. If you like "war stories" or non-conforming, rebel personalities, this book will keep your attention.

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Insightful and Challenging
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2024
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A tome of an account, this book speaks to many lingering problems that continue in our modern military and country. Wise words gained from experience in leadership, loss, and victory. Any history buff will thoroughly enjoy this book!

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Andre
Um verdadeiro Guerreiro!
Reviewed in Brazil on November 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
Ler este livro foi como se eu tivesse sido transportado instantaneamente para as cidades e lugares onde a ação acontecia. Eu me senti como uma testemunha ocular dos eventos tão meticulosamente narrados e delineados pelo autor.
É o relato autobiográfico mais corajoso que eu já li sobre a própria vida profissional de alguém, com todas as implicações e consequências (que vieram a ser sofridas pelo autor) de se falar as coisas como elas são, ou pelo menos como ele as via. O que temos aqui é o relato franco, genuíno, sincero e de coração de sua própria vida através de sua carreira heroica e monumental no Exército dos Estados Unidos da América. Eu agradeço ao Jocko Willink por ter trazido esta inestimável contribuição à atenção de seus ouvintes e seguidores.

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Andre

Um verdadeiro Guerreiro!
Reviewed in Brazil on November 14, 2021
Ler este livro foi como se eu tivesse sido transportado instantaneamente para as cidades e lugares onde a ação acontecia. Eu me senti como uma testemunha ocular dos eventos tão meticulosamente narrados e delineados pelo autor.
É o relato autobiográfico mais corajoso que eu já li sobre a própria vida profissional de alguém, com todas as implicações e consequências (que vieram a ser sofridas pelo autor) de se falar as coisas como elas são, ou pelo menos como ele as via. O que temos aqui é o relato franco, genuíno, sincero e de coração de sua própria vida através de sua carreira heroica e monumental no Exército dos Estados Unidos da América. Eu agradeço ao Jocko Willink por ter trazido esta inestimável contribuição à atenção de seus ouvintes e seguidores.

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Margaret Durr
Excelente
Reviewed in Spain on July 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
Muy interesante y bien escrito.

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Robert Nice
Passionnant !
Reviewed in France on February 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
Un poste d’observation privilégié sur le fonctionnement de l’armée américaine, aussi bien au niveau des escouades que de l’état - major.
Écriture simple mais aucunement simpliste.
Le récit paraît honnête même si l’auteur n’est jamais modeste, mais ses faits d’armes sont hors du commun.
Les réflexions sur la guerre américaine au Vietnam sont sans concession
Un grand livre.

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John Musgrave
Soldiers of the Mind
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2022
Verified Purchase
A well written and compelling account of soldiering last century and why we lost so many of the battles against Maoist guerrillas and continue to struggle with terrorists of more ominous provenance. Not until the lessons of David Hackworth are discussed, understood and acted on will the Free World regain its upper hand. The forward by Jocko Willink is an added bonus. According to JW this book has influenced special forces thinking and for that we should thank David Hackworth. This is a book for all men and women to read and learn from whether you're running a platoon, a small business, a hunting outfit or a classroom. In essence it a book about leadership and responsibility, about growing up and asserting a personal stake in the future. Let it serve as a guide to the next generation charged with defending honour and truth.

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Richard
Important Read, Compelling and Impactful
Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2019
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An important read that will hit you hard. Compelling, rich, informative and one of the best military history and personal memoirs I've come across. Highly recommend if you can find a copy of this book.

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