My Share Of The Task: A Memoir (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
If I were a military buff, I would have enjoyed this book more. But as it were it gives a good look at how a general comes into being. With his family history, love of country and dedication to duty, we get to take a look at the world of the U.S. Army with its protocols, types of command and most interesting to me, how this together with our civilian government, politics and the media all works together, or I should say, interacts, to give us the results that we see. For me this was the most fascinating part. The reading with all the abbreviations and acronyms was tedious at times, but overall, I enjoyed the book. The McChrystal memoir was interesting. I found him to be a remarkable man with an incredible work ethic, at least in the way he describes himself. Several times he briefly discusses his work routine; waking up at 330, running to work, working until 2100, returning home. I don't know if I ever want to work that hard, but his willpower is remarkable.His interactions with President Karzai describe a much more reasonable man than Robert Gates described in his memoir. I assume this is because McChrystal worked with Karzai much more frequently (on a tactical/operational level) than Gates interacted with him (on a strategic level.) I am more likely to believe that McChrystal's description is more accurate.It was amusing to read of McChrystal's frustration with soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan being provided the opportunity to eat fast food and enjoy the comforts of a decadent American lifestyle.The work he accomplished with TF 714 in Iraq was by far the most eye opening part of the book. Though he doesn't explicitly state it, it appears that he and his team made significant strides in enhancing the overall utility of Special Forces in the type of conflict we are involved in now. That was the first time someone put together all the awfulness that was going on in Iraq for me to ingest. Between Zarqawi, the Shia/Sunni strife, and Iranian incursions (I had no idea American soldiers were killed by Iranians in a raid on an American outpost) it sounded like an awful place to be.
What do You think about My Share Of The Task: A Memoir (2013)?
An absolutely excellent read. Not a quick one by any means. But well worth the time invested.
—sherryan
