ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the spirit of the learning organization, this book is our “After Action Review,” an assessment of what happened in America’s Army from which we endeavor to learn. With the benefit of hindsight, we have asked ourselves “What happened?” “What could we [the Army] have done—what did we [the Army] learn?” In doing this, we appreciate the problems of the personal pronoun. This is not a book about the two of us or our small role in making change in the Army, and it would be presumptuous for us to suggest that we represent the views of all those who, over two decades, made change possible. In a very real sense, we are merely two who were privileged to have a unique perspective on the organization at a critical time. The “we” in this book certainly refers to us when we draw conclusions or offer new lessons. But we appreciate that there are other views on some of the issues we have written about, and we take responsibility for our interpretations.

We acknowledge that in many respects our views are drawn from the experiences of others. If there is any power in this book beyond our thoughts about leadership, it will come from the realization that men and women, proud to be called American soldiers, gave of themselves to fight and die in Vietnam, created an army capable of doing its part in the Cold War, and now are growing into a new world, serving America. We especially acknowledge those who led the rebuilding after Vietnam; their story has yet to be told, but it is a proud, honorable story of selfless service. It is in this sense that the real “we” of this book is the American soldier, and we are their spokesmen, two soldiers attempting to tell the story written by thousands of others. For the lessons we have tried to glean from their experience we are greatly in their debt.

There were many without whom this book would not have been written, and to them we owe a deep sense of gratitude. It is simply not possible to acknowledge all of them, but we would be remiss if we did not express our appreciation to as many as we can.

There was first the leadership team that did, and is still doing, the work of transforming the Army. Chief among them are the late Michael E W Stone, Secretary of the Army under President George Bush, and Togo D. West, Jr., the Secretary under President Bill Clinton, both men of great character and substance. On our list also must be General Carl E. Vuono, who as Army Chief of Staff from 1987 to 1991 not only set the course but was the Army’s leader during both the Panama campaign and Desert Storm; and General Dennis J. Reimer, the present chief, who was an integral part of the Army’s senior leadership team from 1990 onward and who is now shouldering the burden of leadership with indomitable spirit. There were many others, far too many to enumerate, ranging from very senior to very junior people both in and out of uniform; but we must especially note the commanders of the Training and Doctrine Command, Generals Frederick M. Franks and William W Hartzog, who contributed so much to intellectual change in the Army; the commanders of the Army Material Command, Generals Jimmy D. Ross and Leon E. Salomon, who transformed the Army’s $16 billion industrial operations; and Sergeant Major of the Army Richard A. Kidd, who more than anyone kept his finger on the pulse of the force during this difficult time.

Between us we have spent more than sixty years in uniform and during that time our thoughts about leadership have been influenced by many—teachers, former commanders, close friends, sergeants, soldiers, and mentors—literally hundreds of people. Our memories are filled with the faces of people whose lives have touched ours in many ways. Unfortunately, we cannot acknowledge all those who influenced our views about leadership and whose thoughts are manifest in this book. They know who they are, and we thank them.

To the extent that this is our own personal After Action Review, we are indebted to the work and the sacrifices of the Army Staff,dedicated officers laboring faithfully with little credit or recognition. We also acknowledge the CSA Staff Group, outstanding young officers who, during the period from 1991 to 1995, contributed immeasurably to the process of transforming the Army and to our thoughts about leadership. Many will go on to lead the Army on the course they helped chart, and we wish them all well.

Our appreciation of history is especially influenced by Major General William A. StofFt and Brigadier General Harold W Nelson, both former Chiefs of Military History. We especially thank Hal for his many hours spent reading the manuscript and assisting in our interpretations of past events.

The idea for the book came slowly, over many hours of discussion. In the end, our decision to write was prompted by our belief that in the Army’s story are lessons for leaders from all walks of life. When we wavered in our commitment, we were bolstered by the encouragement of many who believed strongly in the importance of the story we have tried to tell. Thanks especially to Doctor Roger Spiller, Colonel Ed Guthrie, Major Angela Manos, Professor Lloyd Baird, and others who convinced us we could do it.

Our title was first used by Gordon Sullivan for a 1978 student paper at the Army War College in which he examined the strengths and weaknesses of the NATO defensive posture. More recently, it was used by Roger Spiller as the tide of a December 1993 American Heritage interview of Gordon Sullivan. We appreciate the generosity of the editor of American Heritage, Mr. Richard F. Snow, in permitting us to use it for our book.

We acknowledge and thank the great publishing team at the Times Business division of Random House, especially our mentor, Sam Vaughan; our editor, Karl Weber; and the others who played crucial roles, including Benjamin Dreyer, Lynn Anderson, Mary Beth Roche, Carie Friemuth, Eleanor Wickland, and publisher Peter Osnos. They had faith in the project and patience during the hard days of polishing the work; their professional insight and hard work resulted in a far more readable story than would otherwise have been possible.

We are both proud to have been American soldiers. We thank the American people for that privilege.

Finally, we thank our families, especially our wives, Gay and Leigh, who have put up with us as we have stolen the time from them to complete this task. Their love has been a great strength in this project and in so many other ways.

Gordon R. Sullivan

Michael V. Harper