About Face

4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars | 2,882 ratings

Price: 23.36

Last update: 02-01-2025


About this item

Called "everything a 20th-century war memoir could possibly be" by the New York Times, this national best seller by Colonel David H. Hackworth presents a vivid and powerful portrait of a life of patriotism.

From age 15 to 40, 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.

New York Times best seller. A Military Book Club Main Selection. A number-one Amazon.com best seller in Korean War Personal Narratives.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Tyler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hackworth, the inspiration!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2010
    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!
  • Alan C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Hackworth, you son of a blank!"
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2010
    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.
  • Fox Trot
    5.0 out of 5 stars A soldier's book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2024
    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.
  • Robb1k
    5.0 out of 5 stars AMERICAN WARRIOR - A VANISHING BREED
    Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020
    A American hero, who started from a broken family and rose to the top echelon of warrior/fighters in three wars, starting as a teenager. A hugely interesting read of his career in World War II, postwar, Korean War, postwar, then the Viet Nam War and the end. Tales of his courage, love of the Army and his failings, recounting his life with the US Army. A great story teller, who describes how he poured his life into becoming a leader who developed himself and his troops into the best units in the Army.

    As a Viet Nam veteran, I was particularly interested in that period of his career. I could relate to his criticism of the Army's leadership, supporting the troops thoughts and actions he expressed. My own experiences in country, and training some of those who followed me, furthered supported by my years of reading the histories written afterward have only increased my disdain for Army leadership of that period. Col. Hackworth identified that leaders who lied ended up believing their own lies, taking actions that were wasteful in lives of troops and civilians. It struck a very big chord with me. I fear that little has changed in the Army after 19 years of war in the Middle East. Postwar leadership always allows the real warriors to be pushed aside, advancing personnel to leadership based on their adherence to political machinations. So the Army is bloated by too many personnel not dedicated to war fighting or supporting warfighting. All trying to play down the wretched horror of actually fighting a war.

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