cloud david and jaffe greg (2 Ergebnisse)

Hardcover. Zustand: Good in good dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. [6], 330 p. : Illustrations (some in color). Notes. Index. A moving, inside account of military life in peace and battle, this work follows the rise of four officers who join a beaten Army after Vietnam and help rebuild its ranks, only to see their institution again facing defeat in Iraq David Cloud was the Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times from 2005 to 2007. He previously worked at the Wall Street Journal where he covered national security and intelligence issues. From an on-line posting: "GREG JAFFE is the Pentagon correspondent at the Washington Post and previously held the same position at the Wall Street Journal. In 1999, he was part of a team of reporters that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting." First edition. First edition [stated]. First printing [stated].

Hardcover. Zustand: Very good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Very good. [6], 330 pages. Illustrations (some in color). Notes. Index. Inscription on half-title signed by Greg Jaffe. What makes an effective wartime general? Hardly an academic question when the United States is ramping up its military efforts in Afghanistan. In "The Fourth Star," David Cloud, former Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times, and Greg Jaffe, who covers the Pentagon for The Washington Post, probe this question through the eyes and careers of four distinguished officers who joined the army as second lieutenants after Vietnam and rose to the highest rank -- four-star general -- during the Iraq insurgency. This insider's view of officership and the operation of the U.S. Army is based primarily upon interviews with the four generals -- John Abizaid, George Casey, Jr., Peter Chiarelli and David Petraeus -- and their families, subordinates and others. Cloud and Jaffe are gifted writers, who use their access to these senior commanders to good effect. They provide a lively, personalized account of the successes and setbacks of the four highly able and ambitious servicemen as they climb the military career ladder. 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.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. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated].