Having just finished Where Men Win Glory, written by Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air, Into the Wild), this is a book I would highly recommend – and a book I almost wish I had not read. If you’ve read anything by Jon Krakauer you will know him to be a superb writer, and this book is no exception.
Where Men Win Glory is about a totally inspiring individual, Corporal Pat Tillman, who you may remember was an NFL player who after 9/11 chose to forego his lucrative football career and join the Army Rangers – and subsequently was killed in Afghanistan. The part of the book that is so disturbing (beyond the obvious) is the way in which he died (friendly fire) and the far more disturbing part being the fraud and cover-up created by the Army and the White House.
There are so many guilty parties involved in this horrible event, which is partly why this story is so disturbing. Those in uniform (the list is long but including General Kensinger, Major General Stanley McChrystal) should be tried in a court marshal. And from a political standpoint (including President George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld), the depth and self-serving nature of this fraud is almost beyond belief.
Nonetheless, you cannot come away from this book without being inspired by Pat Tillman and his family. This is a great book but you need to be prepared for the very worst of what the US military and political infrastructure can serve up. A great book with a despicable story.
Thanks for the recommendation Brad. I must say that many of the best books leave me feeling, either disappointed, or disaffected in some way. Generally, it seems that what we think is going on in the world around us, is not what is really going on at all.
At the risk of sounding slightly cynical please let me point out that when we were at the Hoover dam about six months ago, we crossed over the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which is quite beautiful and very impressive. It looms over the dam and is best viewed from there.
The cynical part is that I can just hear our government uttering something akin to “okay, here’s a bandaid. We made the boo-boo all better.”
Krakauer is indeed top notch. I read most of “under the banner of heaven” while flying out to Utah for the first time. Mistake.
Great feedback! As an example, Pat Tillman specifically stated he did not want the military to be involved in his funeral. Guess how that turned out. It really can be quite depressing. I am moving on to a murder/mystery book next, where I can be assured from the beginning there will be an evil plot. 🙂