regent
Gold Member
- Jan 30, 2012
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Thanks, never read it but certainly will. I always think most infantry companies have one or two real leaders, some officers some not, and it is these true heroes that are responsible for winning those nitty-gritty little skirmishes that result in nitty gritty battles being won. The problem is these lower echelon heroes have a short life span and too few are recognized.I have always thought Herman T. Boettcher to be a model for one of the heroes in Myers' "Once An Eagle". Once An Eagle - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Literary significance and criticism[edit]
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf described Once an Eagle as "[a] classic novel of war and warriors. Sam Damon doesn't preach, he lives his values and they are universal, not only military."
In 1997 the United States Army War College Foundation published an edition with a foreword by GeneralJohn William Vessey, Jr. which read "It has been over thirty years since Anton Myrer, a former Marine enlisted man, began the exhaustive and painstaking research that produced this classic novel of soldiers and soldiering. Once an Eagle ranks with Red Badge of Courage and All Quiet on the Western Front as time tested epics of war and warriors. The spirit, the heart and, yes, the soul of the officer corps is captured, as are the intangible ambiance and nuances that make up the life of the American soldier and his family. It is for these reasons and more that the Army War College Foundation has undertaken to republish Anton Myrer’s masterpiece."[4]
General Charles C. Krulak, the commandant of the US Marine Corps, wrote "Once an Eagle has more to teach about leadership — whether it is in the boardroom or on the battlefield — than a score of modern-day management texts. It is a primer that lays out, through the lives of its two main characters, lessons on how and how not to lead."[4]
Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales, the commandant of the US Army War College in 1997 wrote on the book's fly-leaf "Once an Eagle has been the literary moral compass for me and my family of soldiers for more than two generations. Its ethical message is as fresh and relevant today as it was when Anton Myrer wrote it during the war in Vietnam.[4]
The book has also been on the Army Chief of Staff's recommended reading list for professional development, and is currently on the Marine Corps Commandant's recommended reading list as well.
Thanks again.