《The Fourth Star》是Random House US在2010年出版的圖書。作者是Greg Jaffe。
基本介紹
- 書名：The Fourth Star
- 作者：Greg Jaffe
- 出版社：Random House US
- ISBN：9780307409072
內容簡介
They were four exceptional soldiers, a new generation asked tosave an army that had been hollowed out after Vietnam. Theysurvived the military's brutal winnowing to reach its top echelon.They became the Army's most influential generals in the crucible ofIraq.
Collectively, their lives tell the story of the Army over thelast four decades and illuminate the path it must travel to protectthe nation over the next century. Theirs is a story of successesand failures, of ambitions achieved and thwarted, of theresponsibilities and perils of command. The careers of this elitequartet show how the most powerful military force in the worldentered a major war unprepared, and how the Army, drawing on areservoir of talent that few thought it possessed, saved itselffrom crushing defeat against a ruthless, low-tech foe. In TheFourth Star, you'll follow:
Gen. John Abizaid, one of the Army's most brilliant minds.Fluent in Arabic, he forged an unconventional path in the militaryto make himself an expert on the Middle East, but this uniquebackground made him skeptical of the war he found himselfleading.
Gen. George Casey Jr., the son of the highest-ranking general tobe killed in the Vietnam War. Casey had grown up in the Army andwon praise for his common touch and skill as a soldier. He wasdetermined not to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam but would takemuch of the blame as Iraq collapsed around him.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, an emotional, take-charge leader who, morethan any other senior officer, felt the sting of the Army'sfailures in Iraq. He drove his soldiers, the chain of command, andthe U.S. government to rethink the occupation plans–yet rarelyachieved the results he sought.
Gen. David Petraeus, a driven soldier-scholar. Determined toreach the Army's summit almost since the day he entered West Point,he sometimes alienated peers with his ambition and competitiveness.When he finally got his chance in Iraq, he–more than anyone–changedthe Army's conception of what was possible.
Masterfully written and richly reported, The Fourth Star rangesfar beyond today's battlefields, evoking the Army's tumultuoushistory since Vietnam through these four captivating lives andultimately revealing a fascinating irony: In an institution thatprizes obedience, the most effective warriors are often those whodare to question the prevailing orthodoxy and in doing so redefinethe American way of war.
From the Hardcover edition.
