I spoke to you by telephone when you were being interveiwed on a radio program the afternoon of December 30, 2002. I was attempting to thank you for saving my life twice in Viet Nam.

My name is Robert Cotton. In 1968, I was trained in your "Always Alert, Stay Alive" battalion in Fort Lewis, Washington. Knowing that you and other officers and NCOs that were in charge of our training were veterans of Viet Nam, I felt confident that I was being well trained for the war that I knew I was going to participate in.

I arrived in Viet Nam in early December, 1968. I was assigned to Company B, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry. I saw my first combat tha day I joined my unit. I was a rifleman in the third squad of the third platoon. A week later I was carrying an M-60 machinegun. That job lasted three weeks. For the next three weeks, I humped an M-79. Then Lt. Knapp saw I had my stuff together and had been well trained so he ask me to walk point for a full company operation. I knew that sooner or later I would have to take my turn on point so I figured it might as well be sooner. While I was on point we never got into any booby traps or walked into any ambushes. The longer I walked point the more the guys wanted me on point. I guess they thought I was a good luck charm. I stayed on the point for six weeks. I got off the point by volunteering to carry the radio for the platoon leader. All during this time I was beginning to wonder if I would get out of that hell hole alive. The entire battalion was so screwed up and we were losing too many good men because of bad decisions and poor leadership. I recognized this because of the good training I had had, and just plain old common sense.

Then my prayers were answered when you took command of the battalion. I felt then, and feel even more so today that you saved my life. I remember well 25 March 1969. I was awarded a bronze star for valor for helping get some of the wounded out of the battlefield. After Sgt. Tom Smith was wounded, I was the senior RTO in the company.

The first sergeant asked me to carry the radio for the new C.O. We had several new C.O.s before Captain DeRoos took over Battle company. He was the last C.O. I would have in the field. In May, the company had been out on an night ambush and we captured a V.C. He gave us some info on some more bad guys. Choppers picked up half the company and put them right where the enemy was assembling. The choppers returned to pickup the rest of us and put down in a blocking position. By this time you were up in your C&C ship. As we landed in a dry, plowed up rice paddy, I ran from the chopper and stepped in a hole baddly twisting my right knee. When Captain DeRoos informed you that I was injured you came down and picked me up. You asked me to hang on while an air strike was delivered. Then you returned me to Danger and I was choppered to Dong Tam. That was the second time you saved my life. THANK YOU! I am very proud that I got to say thank you to you on national radio.

Sir,

I am a company grade officer on the threshold of senior leadership and the duties of a field grade officer. I want to thank you for your book SMSH, especially the Afterward. COL. Hackworth you are still right on target about junior officers and their training. Your book brought to light some real hard facts about poor leadership that makes it frustrating to watch what is currently happening to our officer education and officer corps in general. Especially, promoting lieutenants to captains too soon and then cutting back hands-on education for distance learning.

You have inspired me to continue to fight to train soldiers and leaders to win, stay alive, and accomplish our assigned tasks. It continues to surprise me how the Army continues to look the other way and get rid of the soldiers (officers and NCOs) who try to maintain our operational readiness and integrity.

Very Respectfully,

SEAN W. BARNES
CPT(P), Armor

Col. Hackworth,

Thank you. Having just finished reading your book, I was struck by the impact it had on me. I enjoyed every page where you brought to life what I can only imagine. Your comments on leadership were on time and on target. For me, you made it crystal clear what must be done to be sucessful and what can happen if you are not prepared.

I resigned my commission as a Captain of Marines in 1994 as I was fed up with the garrison mentality and a sense that we werent focused or allowed to focus on what our real mission was. I regret not having a Battalion Commander with half your qualities (guts!). As I seemed to have encountered to many Col. Hunts and not not enought Col. Hackworths!! I guess in the grand scheme of things, my loss for leaving an organization that I miss dearly. But, never one to wade in self pity, I picked up my pack and moved forward into the maze of the civilian world.

I give your book a hefty compliment as I typically do not respond to military writings or commentary.

With great respect and admiration, and appreciation for signing my copy at a mall in Va.Beach

Semper Fi,

Russ Peaden
Major, USMCR
Richmond, VA

Dear Col.,

I always knew that you were the Best battalion commander in Vietnam. You were also one the biggest SOB's I ever had the misfortune of running into while I served in the Army. However, I felt a lot better (actually, safer, is the correct word), when the dodo was flying and you were near by.

I was really lucky. When I got to Vietnam, 34 years ago today (Nixon was elected President), I was assigned to Charlie Co., along with 41 other guys. Seven of us made it to Hawaii, nine months later. Six of the lucky seven had purple hearts and one, Angelo Tropeano, was never wounded.

I survived because I was surrounded by some of the greatest grunts in the war, Captain DeRoos, Captian Meyers and my platoon Sargent, Onisk. These guys had their shit together and helped me keep mine together.

It was quite and experience, I did everything from run a small squad, play company sniper with a starlite scope on my M16, drive the jeep and carry the radio for the Co's, DeRoos and Meyers. When I got to Hawaii, I ended up driving a Col. around and hitting the surf almost every other day.

My picture is in your latest book, "Claymore company explodes over visit from HIGH CHAPARRAL starlets", I'm the guy in the forefront on the farthest left looking over my shoulder at the young lady.

I am glad that things appear to have gone well for you. Thank you for helping keep me alive. I salute you again.

Hardcore Recondo
Spec. 4
Harvey Sweeney

ps. The next time the guys get together I would like to join in the reunion. Please let me know when and where. Thanks again.

Colonel Hackworth.

Just finished “Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts”….. I took this book on a vacation cruise and could not put it down. I had tears in my eyes from many of the situations that the Hardcore experienced. I also felt the rising up of the group. It gave me goose bumps. I am in great appreciation for what you and those brave men did and the suffering that was experienced. The lessons that you preach and abide by can be use in many situations in life, not just the battlefield. God Bless you and all the Brave Men of Hardcore.

Most important….. Keep promoting your techniques on how to engage our new enemies.

Tim Blair

PS: Looking forward to reading more of your work.

I'm about half way through and find the authenticity gripping. It is very true to my own experience.

But one other aspect that's equally riveting (but somewhat uncomfortable) are the vignettes on Col. Hunt.

After I graduated from college in 1967, I spent many weekends at the McLean, Va. home of the parents of a very good friend. Then LTC.. Hunt and his family lived just across the street and I got to know the family quite well. Mrs. (Mary) Hunt and the kids were just terrific people. He struck me as being somewhat difficult and overbearing but I never thought much about it until I started reading your book.

I lost touch with the Hunts after the spring of 1968 when the draft board finally caught up with me but I would hear indirectly through the years that (Col) Hunt had punched all the right tickets and had moved on to flag rank. Know he got at least two stars but then I lost contact entirely.

Back to "authenticity", I went to Infantry OCS and shipped out in Nov. 1969 to the Fourth Division in AnKhe/Pleiku. I was a rifle platoon leader for six months before being badly injured in the Cambodian incursion. Our combat readiness, morale, competence of field grade officers, and mindlessness of tactics were as you described them in the Ninth.

Having to lead men in combat under the circumstances we faced in '69-70 was a draining and demoralizing experience. What comes across so grippingly in your book is the miasma of corruption that war had degenerated into. It had become a ticket-punching charade for Regular Army field grades where they could embellish their curricula at the expense of meat-grinding the working class teenagers entrusted to their charge. As an officer, even as a junior company grade, I felt involuntarily complicit in that corruption. It is that rather than my injury, the many surgeries or the discomfort of combat that I still see as the defining attributes of that conflict.

I too called patrols in on my radio when I deemed circumstances warranted it. Until I read your book, that's always stayed as a guilty secret.

And what got me about the events surrounding Col Hunt was that they depicted so much of what I had seen or inferred; but the men I disdained were people whose personal histories weren't known to me. I did not hate the North Vietnamese; but I did despise my superiors.

At any rate, I have enjoyed your columns and your television appearances over the years. Agree on almost every "public policy" position I've heard you take.

Take good care; I am so happy today's Army (or at least the Airborne Divisions and the Ranger battalions) is a very different place.

All the best.

Frank Brokaw
3rd. Bt. 8th Inf. 4th Infantry Div. 1969-70.

Col. Hackworth: Just finished "Steel My Soldier's Heart". For the 1st time in many years, I was so filled with emotion and patriotism, for once in a long time I was so proud to be an American. My son is in the Army (35-Echo) at Fort Gordon, Ga. and when he came home this week he said that he thought old age was catching up to me because I would not shut up and stop talking about your book. Because I am much bigger than him, I got my way and gave him a strat to end review. When I finished, he picked up the book and began reading it and I can't get him to put it down!!! If you ever in or near S.E. Alabama or S.W Georgia I would consider it an honor to meet you and give you my Personal Thanks for your service to our country.

God Bless and keep you and your family......Troy Police Detective Captain (ret.) Donald Brown

best book ive read about what vietnam was really like. I hopethat your efforts will save the lives of the soldiers of todays army, I made about face prime reading for my son, in 3/ranger prior to the gulf war and he claims it was very beneficial and made it prime reading for his men. I wish you best regards in your indeavors to continue to help the wariors of the future. thanks and welcome home sir.

Dear David,

I just finished reading Steel My Soldiers' Hearts. I think it's a very important book. On one level, it's an inspiring story of heroism, renewal, and sacrifice. But, to me, the book is much more than just a great story. I believe that it contains some very valuable lessons for today's business leaders, in two different ways: (1) First, as a memoir of the war, it offers critical insights on the psychology and tactics of fighting a guerilla conflict. Many of these insights seem directly applicable to today's War on Terrorism, a war which of course requires U.S. business excutives to play a leadership role in helping to protect our people, property, and information from attack. (2) Second, as a "business book", it is filled with observations which I believe provide useful analogies for any top executive faced with trying to turn around a floundering enterprise. As a lifelong student of military history, I was moved and fascinated by the exploits of the 4th Battalion. I have seen and read quite a bit about Vietnam over the years, but never before have I seen this sort of exceptionally thoughtful account from the perspective of a field level commander. The book is in many ways a testament to the courage and ingenuity of our U.S. soldiers (it really is amazing what Americans are capable of doing in the face of adversity!). At the same time, it also captures the futility of the war in Vietnam in an extremely vivid way: How could we have expected to defeat a determined enemy, whose only strategic objective was to make us suffer, using a largely conventional approach? (Our senior officers seem to have been unable or unwilling to make the strategic and tactical changes necessary to beat the enemy at their own game.) As you write in the Epilogue, the parallels between the Viet Cong and our enemies today in the War on Terrorism are striking ? and concerning. I hope that we have learned at least a few things from past experience! From my perspective as a Partner for one of the world's largest management consulting firms, I found the business turnaround analogies to be especially helpful. By transforming the 4th Battalion from "Hopeless" to "Hardcore" in such a short period of time, you accomplished what very few business leaders are able to do. In 17 years as a management consultant, I have helped many companies deal with turnaround situations. These situations require business leaders to demonstrate an exceptionally high level of strategic clarity, operational expertise, communication skills, and intestinal fortitude. You certainly demonstrated all of these traits. In addition, your experience provides a dramatic illustration of three core principles which I believe are critical to the success of any turnaround: Establish achievable objectives and pursue them aggressively. Too many businesses flail around when they are in trouble, either looking for a "magic bullet" or essentially treading water hoping that the world will go back to normal, instead of focusing on achieving real victories which both build momentum and establish an overall sense of purpose. Demonstrate that you value your people. In a crisis, making sure that people on the ground have what they need to be successful often seems to drop to the bottom of the leader's priority list. Leaders must show that they care, not for the sake of being "popular" (which often means letting people operate in an undisciplined way, and actually could end up getting them killed/fired), but to show your people that you respect them enough to place great value on their safety and their success. Part of doing this is leading from the front, even when doing so is dangerous. Always start by building a foundation of basic skills (blocking and tackling, training ? "the never ending list of little things"). These skills are critical to developing a capable and resilient organization, but are often neglected in a crisis. In combination with a clear understanding of the organization's strategic objectives, these capabilities allow line managers in the field to creatively and boldly take the initiative, and at the same time be confident that they are doing the right thing. No leader can do it all from HQ. Perhaps you have the different list of key lessons learned, but these certainly worked for me! Thank you again for sharing your insights, and God bless you for what you have done and are doing for our country.

Sincerely,

Kenneth E. Mifflin

Secondly, all thought it was a valuable lesson for today ie: Learn the way the enemy plays the game, then become better at it than him and combine it with our resources and technology to guarantee a victory. Third, a valuable (but no one knows if it's learnable) lesson for senior officers to not fuck with success. If the guy running the OP, whether it's a NCO, a jr. officer, Brigade level, whatever, if he's getting results LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE. But few believe senior management will learn that lesson because they need to show that they somehow are responsible for whatever success occurs to advance their own careers.

Only negative was some thought the cover was too subdued and didn't "eye catch" enough on the shelf.

Hope that helps,

Kev.

One would be foolish to listen to either of these men (?). Scrowcroft and Powell were the doves with elder Bush and part of the reason we didn't finish Hussin off in the Gulf war.

As for Powell he was a political fast tracker in a uniform. You should have one of your staff interview some of his troops he "commanded" during his tours in Nam. One's I've talked to haven't had much good to say. Words like bootlicker, ass kisser, coward are just a few brought up, but off course they are ex-nco's like myself.

Your new book is great, bought five and handed them out to some buddies of mine, they all liked it. I suggested to the Mobile Riverine Force Association that they have you have a least a book signing table at the last reunion. Received an e-mail back, They said it caused a small fire storm, so I decided against going, and told the president of the MRFA to take me off their rolls, that I couldn't have association with people with no backbone. I saw the difference in the battalion before and after your arrival. Bunch of hippy dope smokers that slacked off every chance they could but a few months later there sure was a change for the better after you implemented your changes.

Sincerely

Ken Wood
USA ret

Hack,

Just bought your latest and it is better than advertised!! It will go in my "must read" file for my two boys who I'm sure will be fighting the "war on terror" after the Army has given me the "heave-ho". I've only got a couple of others on my list for the Combat Infantryman. You put yourself in the company of "This Kind of War" and "Up Front". You see, my Dad was in an I&R platoon in WWII as a young BAR gunner and when I was commissioned as an Infantry LT he gave me those two books and said that they were essential reading. I've since added "Blackhawk Down," and now I've added your book. Oh, there are others out there, but they don't hit you in the gut, and the heart the way yours does, and fighting is visceral, it is not an academic exercise. "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts" is "spot-on" as my buddies in the SAS would say. Keep it up!!!

LTC, SF

Hack:
Just finished "Steel my Soldier's Hearts." As usual, another great piece of work. I am envious of those who served under you. You were - and continue to be - a leader...in the truest sense of the word. Thanks for all you have done, are doing, and will do in the future.
Drive on,

Rich

PS: We continue to highlight your site on our web site (http://www.kz106.com/armed.htm)

Dear Col Hackworth,

I was a new shake and bake E-5 11BP40 when I arrived in VN in 8/1968. I was assigned to D/4/39inf. Hardcore. I served as a squad leader at FSB Danger, FSB Moore and Cailai in the delta with the 9th Inf Div. I found you to be the the soldiers commander, you looked after us and lifted the moral of the BN. With your guidence we took the battle to the enemy, we kicked butt. No other unit in the 9th had the commardier that the 4/39th did. I Derose'd to Ft Hood in 69. What a mickey mouse unit that was, the 2nd AD. After 9 months I had one yr in my enlistment and volunteered to go back to VN. I again arrived at the 90th replacment BN. I was assigned to Echo/Recon 3/506th. 101st Div. as a recon team leader. What I learned with the 4/39th greatly enhanced my ability to lead a recon team. In 1988 I joined the army reserve as a nurse 0-3. I was assigned to the 101st combat support hospital for Desert Storm, my foward surgical team air assualted into Iraq to set up a MASH unit. Now my son is a pfc in the 2/504th PIR at Ft. Bragg. They are going to the JRTC at Ft. Polk next week for a month. On December 5th they are going to Afghanistan for 8 months. My son is a avid reader and he will have alot of down time and along C147 ride to Afghanistan. I would like to purchase your latest book Steel my soldiers hearts. I would like it to have it signed by you to him personally. How can I have this done?? I also want to read it and will buy it because it involves the 4/39th.

Doug Peterson, Cpt retired Hardcore

Read "Steel' Over block leave in July. Meant to write to you about it sooner but have been very busy since. I think it is your best effort to date!! The perspective was just right, just enough from your view and just enough from the ground view. I particularly enjoyed the Search and Attack blow by blow by the "Hardcore". I have talked it up and several co workers have bought/read it and have had good things to say. Great Job!! Most read for warriors.

10th Division Rifle Platoon Sgt

Col David Hackworth,

I was a soldier in the 25th Inf Div, III Corps, Jun 69 - Jun 70. I completed reading your book, Steel My Soldiers Hearts. Thank you for your efforts to cut through to the core issues and illuminate the real problems that the ordinary soldier and it's officer's corps was faced with coming to grips with ... in the mud, with the mosquitos, and enough unfriendlies to allow anyone with a lightbulb upstairs to know where they stood in the big macro.

I was in the enlisted ranks, and advanced in grade to move up through the ranks to SSG in 13 months resulting from having gone to Nam and being committed to actually do the job coupled with the Army's need for me to be promoted so quickly. There were a host of others who were whining about there circumstances instead of buckling down to deal with the real world and pulling together as a unit...your best defense and offense as applicable and necessary. It boils down to one basic word ...commitment.

I do not know whether you will actually read this. It would be my guess that this is being read by someone that is actually a part of your staff with the number of e-mails you probably are receiving. Even with this fact, I thought when I saw your e-mail address on your worldnetdaily website that I'd actually step up to the plate and say Thank You for you and your Units work both for your book and what was done so many years in the past. I consider the work that was done by those preceeding my arrival, helped cut down those unfriendlies that would have been committed to knock us out.

I have done a fair amount amount of reading since I got back from Nam and your note regarding Bernard Fall in your book added additional credability to your work. It is my opinion that what transpired during the Nam Era is as pertinent today as it was then regarding the link to dealing with a Terrorist Group. It was an education of sorts to find so many people who fail to measure up to the commitment required to maintain Freedom. This is illuminated in your last two chapters. The message in your last two chapters adequately bridges the link from the past events to today's events and circumstances.

I am currently working as a Registered Professional Engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers. I did not start with the Corps until '91. So all of us that served did not go down the tubes as is sometimes portrayed by the media of the 70's and 80's. Another example of this is properly noted in those you had the honor to serve with as you have noted in your book.

Of those books I have had the opportunity to read on the Nam subject, your up there with Bernard Fall. That's pretty fair company in my book.

Best Wishes.

Although I haven't read any other of your articles other than your book, your treatment is credable enough to warrant checking in with what you have written. Again Thank You for your work. America is well served by this effort. Your work will outlast all of us here today. America needs such wise thoughts to think about. There are too few who are thinking about the real questions and issues facing us today.

Lew Riggin, PE
25th Inf Div, Jun '69-Jun'70, SSG

Sir:

I was delighted with your book, of course. It wasn't easy to come by, here in Phoenix. I thought it the perfect birthday present (for me, that is) and scouted it in Borders. Well hidden in the most obscure corner of their Military History section. Same was true when my wife actually bought it, at Barnes & Noble, where it was catalogued entirely differently (and just as well camouflaged).

Two other points: first, thank you for writing dialogue in perfect military pitch. That's exactly as we spoke, even (no, especially) low-life AR grunts like me. Anything else would have been an edited compromise. It took me back to the clipped, salty style I learned and absorbed nowhere else. Thanks for the honest memories.

Second, and most important, I looked forward to your epilogue for about 2/3 of the book only for one reason... to find out what eventually happened to that pluperfect Dick, Col. Hunt. Would you mind, not necessarily "for eyes only", publishing in some of your SFTT notes (I'm grateful to be on your list) what eventually happened to that miserable excuse. I know it will be, er..., abridged to avoid dancing the "libel" dance, but I'd sure appreciate knowing that "low lifes" like that eventually get theirs.

Thanks again for a wonderful read and, yet again, a great service.

Tom Rouse, Phoenix

Hack:

Thanks for remembering the combat medic in "Steel My Soldier's Hearts." As a fellow member of the Legion of Valor, twice wounded combat medic, four times decorated for valor (1st Bn./ 5th Inf.) I appreciate how you treat the drafted soldier, especially the medics in this book. We were a crazy MOS but always the most decorated. We did the job we were trained to do. Keep up the great work.

God Bless

Bruce "Doc" Cotta
Middletown, RI

Dear Col. Hackworth

I am writing you for several reasons. First, I want to congratulate you on the new book. I got a copy as soon as it was on the shelf here in Portland and read it immediately (actually, I made them remove it from the pallet in the backroom so I could have the first one). I just want to tell you that your book has had the most profound effect on me of anything I have read about Vietnam (of course, Doc Holly's books are right up there). I just wish my dad hadn't died right before you took over maybe things would have been different for him. I wish I could come to New Orleans in November to have you sign my book but I am fundraising for a trip to Vietnam in March of 2003. I am traveling with Sons & Daughters, In Touch and there are approximately 200 of us kids going to Vietnam to retrace our fathers' final footsteps. The trip is $4,000 and so I have been fundraising with veteran's groups, making hand-made cards, and have had two fundraising yard sales. My half brother will be traveling with me and acting as my photographer and emotional support during the trip. I have been wanting to make this trip for over 10 years and my dream is finally coming true. I am hoping that this trip will bring me full circle in my healing and provide some closure to the pain I have felt over the loss of my dad. I cannot wait to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of Vietnam. We will be arriving in Saigon and breaking up into color coded travel groups. I will spend approximately 5 days south of Saigon touring Soc Trang, Can Tho, My Tho, and Dong Tam. I have grid coordinates that Dan Evans maped for me so I should be able to get close to the area my dad died in. He was only a few miles out of Dong Tam providing security when he was killed.

Secondly, I also wanted to tell you about a guy my dad served with, Spec 4 Ezekiel Hernandez, who made approximately 2 hours of audio tapes while in Vietnam serving with the 4/39. Hernandez was wounded by the mine that killed my dad and lost his eye and suffered horrible gut wounds that have left him disabled all these years. He and I have formed a friendship over the past 7 or so years and he came to my wedding in 1995. I have received the first of the two tapes and to say the least it is very emotional. I thought you might be interested in hearing what the guys were saying prior to your arrival. The audio is so good that you can hear outgoing rounds and insects on the recording. It is a wonderful piece of history. I am trying to help the audio guy, who made the recordings for Hernandez, find the families of some of these guys on the tape as some of them didn't make it home. I will contact Dan Evans for assistance since he is so good at locating people from the 4/39. If you are interested in the tapes, I will get copies sent to you.

Thirdly, I just want to say thank you for being my hero and sharing all your memories with those of us who were left behind.

Kristin L. Kidd (Daughter of PFC Francis C. Sollers - KIA 12/23/68)

Sir,

I have just finished reading your excellent piece, "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts". I could not put it down. It was like a powerful magnet drawing me to it. There is definitely going to be another re-reading shortly. The Vietnam War or "police action"(depending whose opinion) is perhaps the low point in our valley of the twentieth century. Yet, there is so much to be learned from it. Every droplet of blood left in the rice paddies should remind us all what happens when people that are clueless are left to run the "show". Sadly, even in the military, politics and personal gains come first for certain types of individuals. We have become a nation where our leaders have shady pasts over their military service, where political correctness has priority at the expense of human lives, and where the need of one supercedes the need of the whole. I am no better than any of these types of "leaders" I have just mentioned. It makes me sad to think the greatest nation in the world squanders away her assets. No, I do not refer to money or materials(land of the big px). I refer to what has molded our great nation and her leaders throughout our history. Loyalty, honor, discipline, integrity, principle, ethics, readiness, pro-activeness, and mission/goal orientated. How Bill Clinton ever became president is beyond me. Bin Laden says he has Allah on his side, well, we have God on ours. It would seem to me they are both one and the same. Politics has never been one of my favorite subjects. It just sounds like most politicians are always singing the same song, "blah, bla, bla". Somewhere on our roadmap we made a left turn. We need to turn right back on to that path which has always been the envy of the rest of the world and their leaders. AND, if you are one of those who is lacking in loyalty to the stars and stripes then basically, get the HELL out and go back to that piss ass timbuktu of a country you come from. Back to wearing 4th hand shoes, taken away in the middle of the night cause you voted for the "other guy", or beat up for not facing the east 3 times a day. God(or the Supreme Being/Enmity you pray to) bless us all.

Dear Colnel Hackworth,

Just finished reading your book, it's great. I am a deputy fire chief in a large fire department in New Jersey located minutes from Manhattan. I found your book to be both extremely interesting and enlightening. The leadership techniques sprinkled throughout your book and your website can be applied not only to the battlefield, but to the fireground as well. I intend to put some of them to use immediately. Reading your book from the point of view of a fire ground commander brings out some great similarities of the army and the fire department. It is all to easy to get complacent in between the fires. It is all too easy for leaders to strive for the promotion instead of looking out for their men. It is all too easy to relax discipline, be a "nice guy officer" and ease off on the training. Sound familiar?

Your book is a reminder to leaders, both in the armed services and the fire department, to get back to the basics, get back to reality, and to not forget the "mission".

Thanks for the education.

Brion McEldowney

Morning COL Hackworth,

I was in the 9th Infantry Division the same time you were. I am now reading your book Steel My Soldiers' Hearts. I have to say the first few pages gave me goose bumps and that is difficult in Florida when the weather is 90 degrees. The first three people you mention in the book, LTG Ewell, COL Ira A. Hunt, and COL Spirito.

I do not know if you would remember me or not but on Thursdays when all the Battalion Commanders were in from the field to attend LTG Ewell's weekly staff briefing, I sometimes provided the security portion of the briefing on Communications Security and the number and type of violations that had been monitored by my troops.

You described COL Hunt to a T. I remember when he was the acting commander of FSB Moore. I had to visit the TOC one day and he was screaming on the radio to on of the Commanders in the field that when he told him to release his aircraft, he meant for them to release them. He was standing there in his razor harp fatigues and spit shined boots.

I also remember during the weekly staff briefings COL Hunt would get upset when the statistics were given out about how many medals had been given out by all the other in country Divisions compared to the 9th. One of his comments on day was the fact that he passed a soldier walking along the streets at Don Tam and asked him what unit he was from. I cannot remember what unit it was now but it was an infantry unit. He asked the poor private how long he had been in the 9th Division and his reply was about three months. Hunt's response was, "Where is your CIB?" He was asking the S-1, why the guy had not received his CIB yet.

As for LTG Ewell, I remember him well, he reminded me of some college professor walking around the Div TOC with his ring binders in his hand and looking more like a college professor, than a Division Commander. You knew he was the Commander though.

I have not finished your book yet, but I remember the night of the motor attack on FSB Moore, my unit, the 335th Radio Research Unit, had a platoon in support of the Brigade on FSB Moore. I do not remember who was the Platoon Leader when you were there but if it was Lt. Robert Burns, he was outstanding. We had another Lt. though that replaced him that was useless. He was a defrocked priest, but then the Army took him. You may remember getting situation reports called "Robert Burns." They were intelligence report that we provided to the brigade that were SIGINT reports that we could not sanitize but were intelligence reports gained through Signals Intelligence. They usually came from radio intercept or airborne direction finding. I can remember the Brigade S-2 telling the Bn S-2's that they had a "Robert Burns" for them and that meant it was fairly good Intel. We were all super secret at that time and could not reveal the source. Thank goodness those days are behind us, or at least I hope so.

As for COL Spirito, I can remember getting him out of bed at 2AM to give him a Spot Report on one of his operations that I had intercepted over a microwave and at the same time, my operator had intercepted the same conversation over the land line. It was a call from someone else you mentioned in your book, CPT Dickey, the commander of the LRRP. He was using double talk on the telephone and through analysis I was able to determine the exact location that the mission was to take place. As you know the VC was very good at intercept and I had no choice but to get COL Spirito up in the middle of the night to tell him that one of the LRRPs missions had possible been compromised. Since the LRRPs were his responsibility, the mission was canceled.

In 1972-1974 COL Spirito and I were stationed at SHAPE in Belgium. He was the Commander of the Military Intelligence unit at SHAPE and I was assigned to the Communication Security Section at the International Headquarters, SHAPE. (CPT Jessie Johnson, you may remember him as COL Johnson, from Desert Storm was my Company Commander, he reminds me a lot of you, Hardcore Infantry.) COL Spirito must have like the work I did in Vietnam because he wrote a very strong supporting letter when I applied for Warrant Officer.

I have wanted to meet you and discuss old times but have never gotten the chance. In 1989 I bought your book About Face, and could not put it down. As we were both in the 9th Infantry Division at the same time, I know exactly where I was the night they were lifting you off at the 3d Surgical Hospital and the VC hit the ammo dump. I was in my bunker because we had just came under attack. When the ammo dump blew, I thought we had taken a direct hit in the company. For 13 years I have carried some pictures of the day after that I had printed for you, however, not knowing how to get in touch with you I never mailed them to you. Now that I have an address, I will look for them again and mail them to you. They are pictures of the aftermath of the ammo dump being blown up and were taken of the immediate area around the dump. I do not know if you knew it or not but 17 soldiers were vaporized at the ammo dump that night. The next day one of my troops intercepted a call to the 3d Surgical Hospital and it was from someone that worked at the ammo dump stating they had found a foot and could the doctor identify it. At that time there was no DNA so all the doctor could tell the individual was that all he could do was tell him that it was a foot, either left or right and nothing more. No other body parts were ever found. I guess that I will get to that part of the book later.

Enjoy seeing you on the TV from time to time. I am glad that someone is telling it like it is.

Thanks for your time, hope that I have not bored you with my memories.

Sincerely,

Edward V. Whitaker
CW3, Retired
"Old Reliable"

Dear Hack,

Almost 33 years have passed since I was part of the 'The Herd'. Serving with a gung ho, volunteer, select (our own Herd barracks at Cam Ranh) outfit was a great experience, notwithstanding the chickshit, and fit with family service in the Revolution, Tunisia, Anzio, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan.

Looking back all these years, I realize that there are things about Nam I will always carry with me but one that continues to hurt is the memory of coming home to the World. I never realized the profound impact of the rejection until Afghanistan. I am ashamed but admit to being jealous at all the attention and praise for the troops. As years passed, I had seldom mentioned Nam unless someone said something particularly stupid. Feel no sadness for me because I moved on. But feel great sadness for the many who were no longer soldiers but no longer fit into the new culture. Sad because they had so much to contribute.

Your book, "Steel .... ", hit the the U.S. military problem right on, which is why I turned down OCS and a career. You are an someone for whom I have great respect. It was a poignant moment but lifted my spirits when I read the lines "thank you for your brave service" you wrote in my copy. I know you write similar words to everyone; what matters is you mean it. Most of us never heard words of praise from our countrymen. And our friends who did not come home, never heard them from anyone at all, passing on forgotten except by their families.

Thank you for writing about your experiences and thank you for continuing to be an advocate for the current warriors, as well as the forgotten generation.

Yours Truly,

Chris Clark
Houston, Texas

Dear Sir,

I just finished reading "Steel... My Soldiers Hearts" I know this a public forum, but still I want to say thank for writing it. My Dad was a 2 tour combat medic with the 82nd in Vietnam. I served my entire 8 years with no combat thank God, but like you he saw and did what most soldiers hope never needs being done. He is dying now, and until just this summer he never spoke of his ordeals. We both read your book together in the hospitable everyday. He talked to me about the war for the first time in my 30+ years. He cried for the first time in my recollection, and told me he still feels guilty for his buddies who are gone. My dad is a proud Samoan who always loved his country and 20 years service. He said he would of liked to have served with men like you. No glamour speeches from my old man, but I know you and many others that are here know what he went through. I am proud of all vets, but mostly of my Dad, cuz he is my hero. Thanks for the great book which we shared Colonel.

Joe Fiegaa Salanoa
Sgt. USA 11B/M

Hack,

I have just finished reading Steel My Soldier's Hearts . I have read all of you books and have followed your columns since the early 1990's. I just wanted to let you that, as a Police Officer, I have used many of your ideas and adapted your tactics to fit our specific needs. As the commander of a Street Crimes Unit, I used you as a role model and sold my guys on sound tactics, strong discipline and leadership by example. Our unit racked up well over 500 arrests in almost two years and we became the studs of the P.D. The attitude spread to other divisions who wanted to join in on the fun. Thanks for the great job that you do. Your leadership and advice is universal and will benefit anyone who listens.

Best Wishes,

Lt. J.K.
New Jersey

Dear Hack,

Just finished "Steel!"

You have developed into a very compelling writer. I loved About Face:. I was a "Brown Shoe" myself. My youngest brother, I have three, served with you in the 39th. He was there before and during your assignment, rotating home in July 69. Several times I would call him while reading the book. "Is this as you remembered it?", "Yes" was his usual response. Most vivid to him was the srategy, stop marching into minefields that had no payback for them. Early on the troops learned your message, train & survive. I implore you, keep haunting the brass, it is so easy for them to forget their real mission, function intellegently, forcefully and SURVIVE doint it. Keep up the good work. My brother returned safely, probably because of you. Thanks

John M Franklin, VA

Really enjoyed the book and totally agree with your perspective. Having a son in NROTC to receive his commission 1/04, I am very aware of what's going on. Am a former 1LT, US Army Intelligence, released from active duty 4/72. Did not serve in Vietnam. Let me know what can be done besides trying to convince everyone I know that we need more qualified military leaders.

Peter Welles

Colonel Hackworth,

Thank you for your splendid new book, "Steel My Soldiers' Heart." It was moving, enlightening, maddening, and inspiring. I am writing to thank you for your story and your service to our country.

I was an infantry officer in the First Infantry Division from 1971-1973. At the time, the Big Red One was back within the safe confines of Ft. Riley, Kansas. I can proudly say, we kept most of Manhattan, and Junction City, Kansas safe for democracy.

One of your chapters of your book, that struck very close to home for me was one of the last ones about "Green lieutenants." I was certainly exhibit A, as far as that goes, and I fear I probably erred on the side of wanting to be well-liked than a good leader. Being an infantry officer is something I desired after taking ROTC at the University of Dayton. My brother graduated from VMI and served two tours in Vietnam, first in your old neighborhood of the Mekong, as an advisor to the ARVN in 1967-68, and later as a company commander with the 1st Air Cav in 1970-71. To paraphrase my favorite poem, "Gunga Din," "he's a better man than I am.

I believe that my ROTC training and 9 weeks of Ft. Benning's Infantry School prepared my for a body bag, and little more. I never felt our training was adequate or thorough enough. Everything was done once. We spend more time learning to drive a car, than how to lead men into combat. As I mentioned, I volunteered to be in the infantry, but at the time it was a branch that was a catch-all for those at the lower end of military science classes. In other words, those at the top chose their branches, and combat arms was not always a priority except for the hardcore. So those with less aptitude and leadership skills ended up in the infantry.

Believe me, I don't consider myself better than them by any means. In ROTC, I knew my military history, and kept my brass nice and shiney, but I don't think I was prepared to lead men into combat. I feel fortunate that I did not have to do so in Vietnam. No soldier should have died while I learned the ropes. I do greatly admire those that did lead with honor and bravery. You and they are made of stiffer mettle than me. Perhaps with more training, the essential confidence that you speak so strongly about would have followed, but we'll never know.

My father was in the O.S.S. during World War II, and he passed away in 1996. My Mom can still visit Ft. Meade to shop at the commissary, and I take her once a month. As we are stopped at the checkpoint I thank the young men and women who serve today. Without a draft the military is further removed from the fabric of our nation. Another Rudyard Kipling poem comes to mind, "Tommy." I fear few Americans know anyone in the service anymore, and few middle to upper class citizens find themselves in uniform except as officers. I'm not sure how healthy it is to always rely on some other person to do our bidding for us.

Well, I've run on and on like a long winded briefing. Forgive me. I do want to thank you again for your contribution to our country and for writing your books. I also read "About Face" when it first came out, and have "The Price of Honor," on my shelf.

I salute you, and fear in my heart that I might have been one of those damn lieutenants you had to fire before I fucked things up in your battalion.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mike Gesker

In a way of introduction: you called me at LTG Hank Emerson's request (1989) while I was in the hospital at the Presidio of San Francisco ~ I never did follow up your very generous gesture with a thanks; I hope you will accept this note as such.

While reading your latest, Steel My Soldier's Hearts, Ardant du Picq's words kept haunting me: "A nation, democratically constituted, is not organized from a military point of view. It is, therefore, as against the other, in a state of unpreparedness for war." Yes, we had the soldiers and the technology to fight the Viet Cong. We lacked the Gunfighters and the Hardcore 6's to prosecute the battles, for Patton's Summertime soldiers were in charge. From my point of view everyone had their own idea on how this war was to be prosecuted and dam few of them ever read Sun Tzu or walked in thir their soldier's boots.

Another thought kept leaping at me: not only does man have thumbs and four morte digits, which is supposed to separate man from the rest of the animal world, he also has the ability to disseminate information to follow on generations nationally and internationally. This is not the case in Eisenhower's "military complex". It appears that every leader has to make his mark in the annals of military history. I have always followed one rule: "Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way", but lead while under the wings of proven great leaders and fit their battlefield acumen and coup d' oeil to the task at hand.

Thank you for this great text.

George W. Simmons, Jr.
CSM, US Army (Ret.)

Dear Colonel,

I just finished SMSH and "had" to write to you and thank you for several things. First, thank you for your dedicated service to the protection of our country and for your selfless service to your men. Secondly, thank you for being willing to put your experiences on paper for us all to share and learn from. It must have taken a lot of courage to go through the writing process, to re-live those experiences and to re-visit those tragic losses. Lastly, thank you for giving me some great guidance. It was no accident that I found this book on the day that I did. I had been having some troubles at home with my wife and had lost some of my focus as the leader of my family. I had realized recently that my absentee father left a lot to be desired in the "teaching and guidance" department. (He's was a Navy man, Seabees in Okinawa, 1943-1945)...I am the youngest of 5 children and had "slipped through the cracks" in my family...when I picked up your book, I knew I had to read it. I have always been fascinated with the Vietnam War and its many paradoxes, and I knew I had to take the time to read this one. I was right. Your book was not only about the events of the war, but more importantly, it is about being a committed, responsible, caring, dedicated and courageous leader. That is who I am committed to being for FSB French.

You have made a huge difference in my life, if you can believe that. Thank you and I wish you Godspeed.

Hardcore Recondo, Sir!

Sincerely and respectfully,

Richard T. French

Hi Dave:

You might remember me, we talked a few years ago while you were still working for Newsweek. I was the 9th's public information officer in Bearcat before you arrived to scare the hell out of my former boss Ira Hunt. What a puke he was. I got along by avoiding him. He was an ego-centered, put my name in print bastard. Oh, I can't get started on him or I'll lose my train of thought.

I have begun writing, and have one novel published (Final Voyage ISBN: 0-595-16605-9) which involves Navy seals. I have another with a literary agent in California that deals with the Germans and Israelis getting into a pissing contest in the Caribbean over some gold found in a sunk U-boat full of gold bars taken from concentration camps. A third is with a couple of agents that concerns a Hezbollah terrorist that causes one of our nuclear reactors to melt down. So, you can see I've been busy. What I am leading up to is the current project I'm on that directly involves the 9th. I am writing a screenplay called MEKONG. I want to tell the story of the poor GI in the delta through the eyes of the combat journalist who went with him into battle. It will have death, tragedy and gore mixed with humor, sex and laughter. The purpose of my writing this story is a promise I made to several young men in body bags over there 35 years ago. Each time I crawled over a pile of dead VC, it didn't bother me a bit. When I saw one of our brave young men in a body bag, I cried. I promised them I would tell their story one day, and I now have enough time lapse to follow through with my promise without having nightmares. I don't know how your unit was covered by the PIO because I had left before you arrived. However, when I was there, we had a combat journalist assigned to each combat battalion. Of the 19 men in my section, we had 33 Purple Hearts. I picked up two myself. I had battalion commanders look me up to shake my hand and tell me how proud they were of my reporters with their unit. This was because they were in the CO's back pocket and when the RTO got hit, which was often, they were under orders to take over the radio and stick with the battalion commander. They did so many times and as a result, ended up being wounded. I am proud of those guys, so much so we are having a reunion down here in Mississippi next July. I've found almost all of them after 35 years, and two cried when they heard my voice. One has totally gone hermit, living in a cabin without electricity or running water in the mountains of Montana. He wouldn't even discuss Vietnam with me. Another, who was stationed with Stars and Stripes in Saigon, was a basket case, then after rehab, became a physciatric nurse so he could help others in the VA hospital. Funny story about Bruce McIllhency, they guy I had in Saigon. He's the one who pulled the mayor into the canal and swam away with him to protect him from assassination. The bastard later cursed Bruce because his wounds got infected from the dirty water. He is also he dude that shot the VC in the head while the camera caught him in the square in Saigon. Bruce was in Saigon, although on my duty roster, because the editor of Stars and Stripes came to me asking for labor help. I told him I'd give him my most mature and best writer ...if he would make sure the 9th was in the Stars and Stripes every day, at least a photo if nothing else. Julian Ewell called me in one day and said, "How the hell do you get us in the Stars and Stripes so often? The other division commanders are bitching to Westy about our news coverage. "Good management," was my reply. He never knew the truth.

One of the opening scenes in my ACT I of my screen play portrays me and Ed Bradly of CBS. He kept bugging me to take him into combat, not show him some dead dicks after the battle. So, I found two young helicopter pilots who hadn't started shaving yet and they volunteered to do what I asked. "Sit us down between the good guys and the bandits. I'll have the commander pop some smoke, you hover a few seconds over the rice paddy, we'll unass the bird then you go." Hell, they thought I was crazy. Anyway, I called CBS and Bradly and two Vietnamese--a cameraman and a sound man, met me at Ton San Nhut helipad. I took them into the delta to the battle underway. We flew right into the crap flying around, hovered and I leaped out and immediately sunk waist deep in mud and tit deep in water, and I'm 6'3" tall. Bradly jumped and a RPG landed nearby and he went under and stayed under. The two Vietnamese went under and never came up because they were about to drown with all the heavy equipmet. I pulled the two little guys with me and we made it to the rice paddy dike and flattened our backs against the mud, with the bad guys on the other side. I saw Bradly come up for air a couple of times, then go back down. In short, he chewed me out for almost getting him killed and ruining all his equipment. "Get me out of this mess," he shouted. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. We have to go out on a re-supply slick. Wounded need to be evacuate, ammo and rations and water have to come in. Folks like us have last prority." He bitched. "So when?" I smiled. "In about three or four hours we should make it out." He looked at me with a scowl. "You planned this whole thing, didn't you?" I smiled again. "War's hell, ain't it." So, I am doing a screenplay and of course, you and your battalion will be in several sequences, I can assure you. I am even doing some script work that will show Ira baby as a true asshole that eat ice cream. Ewell, I will leave alone because I think he was trying, maybe a bit too hard. There are some others, like the time I was ordered to write up a Silver Star citation for departing ADC Fulton. "For what?" I asked Hunt. "Make up something," was his reply. "Bullshit" was my reply. "If he'd done half of what me and my people have done, yeah, I'd do it. But riding around at 1.500 feet doesn't deserve a damn Silver Star." I refused so he got one of my enlisted men to do it without me knowing. What a piece of work he was. After I left War College, after being promoted ahead of my peers to major and LTC, I was on the 06 promotion list when I ran into a real three star asshole in Fort Hood. He told me to do something and I told him no. "You will be in trouble, and I'll get court martialed. No, I won't do it general." He told me I couldn't talk to him like that, and I told him his door was closed and his aide wasn't present so I could say anything I wanted to. "So, get yourself another public affairs oficer, I quit." I gave him a salute, did an about face and went to my office. I packed up my desk, shook hands with the sergeant major and left post. I never went back until my discharge was approved. I gave so much and then found out the whole thing was full of dumb, ass kissing politicians---not soldiers who know how to fight and take care of their men.

So, keep your powder dry, Dave, and I'll be communicating with you in the future, for sure. Good work on your last book "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts" I really enjoyed it, especially your loving comments about Ira. See ya,

Ray Funderburk

Dear Colonel Hackworth,

I've just finshed reading your new book, "Steel My Soldiers Hearts" and re-reading "About Face" along with General Harold G. Moore's book, "We Were Soldiers Once and Young." I don't know if you have General Moore's book, but there a couple of outstanding parts in the introduction that I though was very appropriate and really struck a chord. If you have read the book, then you don't need to read any further, if you have not read it then you may find this of some interest.

"We were the children of the 1950's and John. F. Kennedy's young stalwarts of the early 1960's. He told the world that Americans would "pay and price, bear a