The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education - Craig M. Mullaney

[RamboLiberal]

The author was interviewed on The Daily Show. I'm listening to him now on Pittsburgh liberal Lynn Cullen's radio show. He also served as a campaign volunteer in Pittsburgh for Obama.

From Amazon.com

Young Captain Mullaney’s admirable, literate autobiography, that of a veteran of combat in Afghanistan, adds much to knowledge of the modern army and makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate over what a “warrior” is these days. Mullaney wryly recounts his years at West Point and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, then writes eloquently of infantry combat and the persistent burden of guilt for not bringing all his men home even as he makes his account a tribute to his fellow warriors. He concludes with sidelights on his teaching post at the U.S. Naval Academy and the moving story of his younger brother’s graduation from West Point and subsequent passage into the ranks of the warriors himself. Almost impossible to put down for anyone interested in the modern U.S. Army or in modern warfare in general. --Roland Green

Review
Advance Praise for The Unforgiving Minute

“Keenly intelligent war memoir whose central question is, “What is a man?”’… A philosophically ambitious account of coming to adulthood.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Craig Mullaney has lived every kind of American life—he has been a working- man’s son, a prize scholar, a soldier—and what’s come out of it is a classic memoir about what it means to be American. By marching so many terrains, he has covered the subjects central to every life: courage, pain, loyalty, honor, friendship, love and the tests any good life faces, year by year, minute by minute. He has also produced a page-turner, a brutally honest account of West Point life, the innocence-abandoned experiences of an American abroad at Oxford, and ultimately an indelible story of life and death on the battlefield. In words his squadmates might recognize, I recommend The Unforgiving Minute without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.”
—David Lipsky, contributing editor to Rolling Stone Magazine and author of the New York Times bestseller Absolutely American

“The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book—universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire—a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.”
—Ahmed Rashid, author of the New York Times bestseller Taliban and Descent into Chaos

“Mullaney writes a great story—a true privilege to read. Entertaining, balanced, and graceful, The Unforgiving Minute is a powerful narrative of purpose, responsibility, courage, and personal growth. Every young man and woman in America should read this book, and aspire to his standard of public service.”
—General Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.)

[stray cat]

1. The book was excellent as well as educational in the best sense of the word!