They were four exceptional soldiers, a new generation asked to
save an army that had been hollowed out after Vietnam. They
survived the military''s brutal winnowing to reach its top echelon.
They became the Army''s most influential generals in the crucible of
Iraq.
Collectively, their lives tell the story of the Army over the
last four decades and illuminate the path it must travel to protect
the nation over the next century. Theirs is a story of successes
and failures, of ambitions achieved and thwarted, of the
responsibilities and perils of command. The careers of this elite
quartet show how the most powerful military force in the world
entered a major war unprepared, and how the Army, drawing on a
reservoir of talent that few thought it possessed, saved itself
from crushing defeat against a ruthless, low-tech foe. In The
Fourth 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 military
to make himself an expert on the Middle East, but this unique
background made him skeptical of the war he found himself
leading.
?Gen. George Casey Jr., the son of the highest-ranking general to
be killed in the Vietnam War. Casey had grown up in the Army and
won praise for his common touch and skill as a soldier. He was
determined not to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam but would take
much of the blame as Iraq collapsed around him.
?Gen. Peter Chiarelli, an emotional, take-charge leader who, more
than any other senior officer, felt the sting of the Army''s
failures in Iraq. He drove his soldiers, the chain of command, and
the U.S. government to rethink the occupation plans–yet rarely
achieved the results he sought.
?Gen. David Petraeus, a driven soldier-scholar. Determined to
reach 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–changed
the Army''s conception of what was possible.
Masterfully written and richly reported, The Fourth Star ranges
far beyond today''s battlefields, evoking the Army''s tumultuous
history since Vietnam through these four captivating lives and
ultimately revealing a fascinating irony: In an institution that
prizes obedience, the most effective warriors are often those who
dare to question the prevailing orthodoxy and in doing so redefine
the American way of war.
From the Hardcover edition.
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