
About Face
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.97
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
John Pruden
About this listen
Called "everything a 20th-century war memoir could possibly be" by the New York Times, this national best seller by Colonel David H. Hackworth presents a vivid and powerful portrait of a life of patriotism.
From age 15 to 40, David Hackworth devoted himself to the US Army and fast became a living legend. In 1971, however, he appeared on television to decry the doomed war effort in Vietnam. With About Face, he has written what many Vietnam veterans have called the most important book of their generation.
From Korea to Berlin, from the Cuban missile crisis to Vietnam, Hackworth's story is that of an exemplary patriot, played out against the backdrop of the changing fortunes of America and the American military. It is also a stunning indictment of the Pentagon's fundamental misunderstanding of the Vietnam conflict and of the bureaucracy of self-interest that fueled the war.
New York Times best seller. A Military Book Club Main Selection. A number-one Amazon.com best seller in Korean War Personal Narratives.
©2019 Colonel David H. Hackworth (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Across the Fence: Expanded Edition
- The Secret War in Vietnam
- By: John Stryker Meyer
- Narrated by: John Stryker Meyer
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For eight years, far beyond the battlefields of Vietnam and the glare of media distortions, American Green Berets fought a deadly secret war in Laos and Cambodia under the aegis of the top secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group, or SOG. Go deep into the jungle with five SOG warriors surrounded by 10,000 enemy troops as they stack up the dead to build a human buttress for protection. Witness a Green Beret, shot in the back four times and left for dead, who survives to fight savagely against incredible odds to complete his missions.
-
-
Great Great Great
- By Stuta on 02-26-20
-
Leadership Strategy and Tactics
- Field Manual
- By: Jocko Willink
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the military, a field manual provides instructions in simple, clear, step-by-step language to help soldiers complete their mission. In the civilian sector, books offer information on everything from fixing a leaky faucet to developing an effective workout program to cooking a good steak. Leadership Strategy and Tactics explains how to take leadership theory, quickly translate that theory into applicable strategy, and then put leadership into action at a tactical level. This audiobook is the solution that leaders at every level need.
-
-
Liked it so much I'm driving to NY to see him chat
- By Amazon Customer on 01-15-20
By: Jocko Willink
-
Call Sign Chaos
- Learning to Lead
- By: Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation.
-
-
A pleasant surprise
- By Fountain of Chris on 09-06-19
By: Jim Mattis, and others
-
On the Psychology of Military Incompetence
- By: Norman F. Dixon
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Crimea, the Boer War, the Somme, Tobruk, Pearl Harbor, the Bay of Pigs: these are just some of the milestones in a century of military incompetence, of costly mishaps and tragic blunders. Are these simple accidents—as the "bloody fool" theory has it—or are they inevitable? The psychologist Norman F. Dixon argues that there is a pattern to inept generalship, and locates this pattern within the very act of creating armies in the first place, which in his view produces a levelling down of human capability that encourages the mediocre and limits the gifted.
-
-
Engaging
- By Shari Therneau on 11-26-24
By: Norman F. Dixon
-
Leadership Strategy and Tactics (Field Manual Expanded Edition)
- By: Jocko Willink
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leadership is the most challenging of human endeavors. It is often misunderstood. It can bewilder, mystify, and frustrate even the most dedicated practitioners. Leaders at all levels are often forced to use theoretical guesswork to make decisions and lead their troops. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. There are principles that can be applied and tenets that can be followed. There are skills that can be learned and maneuvers that can be practiced and executed. There are leadership strategies and tactics that have been tested and proven on the battlefield, in business, and in life.
-
-
Lead by design
- By Ultra Mario on 01-30-24
By: Jocko Willink
-
War as I Knew It
- By: George Patton
- Narrated by: Ray Atherton
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
War as I Knew It is the personal and candid account of General George S. Patton, Jr.'s celebrated, relentless crusade across Europe during World War II. First published in 1947, this absorbing narrative draws on Patton's vivid memories of battle and his detailed diaries, from the moment the Third Army exploded onto the Brittany Peninsula to the final Allied casualty report. The result is not only a grueling, human account of daily combat but also a valuable chronicle of the strategies and fiery personality of a brilliant warrior.
-
-
Great book terrible narrator!
- By Anonymous on 04-18-20
By: George Patton
-
Across the Fence: Expanded Edition
- The Secret War in Vietnam
- By: John Stryker Meyer
- Narrated by: John Stryker Meyer
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For eight years, far beyond the battlefields of Vietnam and the glare of media distortions, American Green Berets fought a deadly secret war in Laos and Cambodia under the aegis of the top secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group, or SOG. Go deep into the jungle with five SOG warriors surrounded by 10,000 enemy troops as they stack up the dead to build a human buttress for protection. Witness a Green Beret, shot in the back four times and left for dead, who survives to fight savagely against incredible odds to complete his missions.
-
-
Great Great Great
- By Stuta on 02-26-20
-
Leadership Strategy and Tactics
- Field Manual
- By: Jocko Willink
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the military, a field manual provides instructions in simple, clear, step-by-step language to help soldiers complete their mission. In the civilian sector, books offer information on everything from fixing a leaky faucet to developing an effective workout program to cooking a good steak. Leadership Strategy and Tactics explains how to take leadership theory, quickly translate that theory into applicable strategy, and then put leadership into action at a tactical level. This audiobook is the solution that leaders at every level need.
-
-
Liked it so much I'm driving to NY to see him chat
- By Amazon Customer on 01-15-20
By: Jocko Willink
-
Call Sign Chaos
- Learning to Lead
- By: Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation.
-
-
A pleasant surprise
- By Fountain of Chris on 09-06-19
By: Jim Mattis, and others
-
On the Psychology of Military Incompetence
- By: Norman F. Dixon
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Crimea, the Boer War, the Somme, Tobruk, Pearl Harbor, the Bay of Pigs: these are just some of the milestones in a century of military incompetence, of costly mishaps and tragic blunders. Are these simple accidents—as the "bloody fool" theory has it—or are they inevitable? The psychologist Norman F. Dixon argues that there is a pattern to inept generalship, and locates this pattern within the very act of creating armies in the first place, which in his view produces a levelling down of human capability that encourages the mediocre and limits the gifted.
-
-
Engaging
- By Shari Therneau on 11-26-24
By: Norman F. Dixon
-
Leadership Strategy and Tactics (Field Manual Expanded Edition)
- By: Jocko Willink
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leadership is the most challenging of human endeavors. It is often misunderstood. It can bewilder, mystify, and frustrate even the most dedicated practitioners. Leaders at all levels are often forced to use theoretical guesswork to make decisions and lead their troops. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. There are principles that can be applied and tenets that can be followed. There are skills that can be learned and maneuvers that can be practiced and executed. There are leadership strategies and tactics that have been tested and proven on the battlefield, in business, and in life.
-
-
Lead by design
- By Ultra Mario on 01-30-24
By: Jocko Willink
-
War as I Knew It
- By: George Patton
- Narrated by: Ray Atherton
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
War as I Knew It is the personal and candid account of General George S. Patton, Jr.'s celebrated, relentless crusade across Europe during World War II. First published in 1947, this absorbing narrative draws on Patton's vivid memories of battle and his detailed diaries, from the moment the Third Army exploded onto the Brittany Peninsula to the final Allied casualty report. The result is not only a grueling, human account of daily combat but also a valuable chronicle of the strategies and fiery personality of a brilliant warrior.
-
-
Great book terrible narrator!
- By Anonymous on 04-18-20
By: George Patton
-
Extreme Ownership
- How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
- By: Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An updated edition of the blockbuster best-selling leadership book that took America and the world by storm, two US Navy SEAL officers who led the most highly decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War demonstrate how to apply powerful leadership principles from the battlefield to business and life.
-
-
I don't read SEAL Books...
- By Amazon Customer on 02-21-17
By: Jocko Willink, and others
-
With the Old Breed
- At Peleliu and Okinawa
- By: E. B. Sledge
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Joe Mazzello, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
-
-
This is the second audio book of Sledge's work
- By Richard on 10-21-13
By: E. B. Sledge
-
Scars and Stripes
- An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself
- By: Tim Kennedy, Nick Palmisciano
- Narrated by: Tim Kennedy
- Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tim Kennedy has a problem; he only feels alive right before he’s about to die. Kennedy, a Green Beret, decorated Army sniper, and UFC headliner, has tackled a bull with his bare hands, jumped out of airplanes, dove to the depths of the ocean, and traveled the world hunting poachers, human traffickers, and the Taliban. But he’s also the same man who got kicked out of the police department, fire department, and as an EMT, before getting two women pregnant four days apart, and finally, been beaten up by his Special Forces colleagues.
-
-
First review!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-07-22
By: Tim Kennedy, and others
-
We Were Soldiers Once... and Young
- Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
- By: Harold G. Moore, Joseph L. Galloway
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In November 1965, some 450 men of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating.
-
-
The truth
- By Bobbyg on 10-08-19
By: Harold G. Moore, and others
-
By Water Beneath the Walls
- The Rise of the Navy SEALs
- By: Benjamin H. Milligan
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 22 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How did the US Navy - the branch of the US military tasked with patrolling the oceans - ever manage to produce a unit of raiders trained to operate on land? And how, against all odds, did that unit become one of the world’s most elite commando forces, routinely striking thousands of miles from the water on the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, even Central Africa?
-
-
Extra. Ordinary.
- By Anonymous User on 12-15-21
-
Helmet for My Pillow
- From Parris Island to the Pacific: A Young Marine's Stirring Account of Combat in World War II
- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: James Badge Dale, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
-
-
Should be required reading in high school
- By Randall on 04-03-19
By: Robert Leckie
-
SOG Kontum
- Secret Missions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia 1968-1969
- By: Joe Parnar, Robert Dumont
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book tells the story of the Teams operating out of FOB2 Kontum, near the tri-border area, in 1968-69. From recon missions over the fence to the heroic, and sometimes fatal efforts undertaken to try and rescue missing SOG members, the events are told through the words of the men themselves, supported by previously unreleased official documents.
-
-
Great story telling, gripping stories.
- By Derek Catalan on 03-23-25
By: Joe Parnar, and others
-
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog
- Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy)
- By: Admiral William H. McRaven
- Narrated by: Admiral William H. McRaven
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The title “Bullfrog” is given to the Navy SEAL who has served the longest on active duty. Admiral McRaven was honored to receive this honor in 2011 when he took charge of the United States Special Operations Command. When McRaven retired in 2014, he had 37 years as a Navy SEAL under his belt, leading men and women at every level of the special operations community. During those four decades, Admiral McRaven dealt with every conceivable leadership challenge. The Wisdom of The Bullfrog draws on these and countless other experiences from Admiral McRaven’s incredible life.
-
-
Great book for anyone in Leadership position
- By Myrl on 04-06-23
-
Band of Brothers
- E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Tim Jerome
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to D-Day and victory, Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company, which kept getting the tough assignments. Easy Company was responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Band of Brothers is the account of the men of this remarkable unit.
-
-
High Expectations Met
- By Audrey on 02-12-13
-
Grant
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 48 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow reveals in his masterful biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.
-
-
Excellent Book (BUT WHERE IS THE PDF FILES)????
- By Amazon Customer on 10-25-17
By: Ron Chernow
-
Hazardous Duty
- America's Most Decorated Living Soldier Reports from the Front and Tells the Way It Is
- By: David H. Hackworth
- Narrated by: David H. Hackworth
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hazardous Duty is a real-life, hard-hitting nonfiction thriller set in the ruins of Bosnia and the sands of Saudi Arabia, the deadly alleys of Mogadishu and the teeming streets of Port-au-Prince. Colonel Hackworth returns from these new American battlefields to report that the Pentagon is wasting hundred of billions of dollars gearing up to fight the wrong kind of wars, and offers a tough-love critique of American military leadership, interpreting the new post-Cold War conflicts.
-
-
It's not "About Face"
- By J on 08-22-15
-
Into the Fire
- A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
- By: Dakota Meyer, Bing West
- Narrated by: Zach McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out 100 men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, 21 year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
-
-
Exceptional Memoir
- By Jean on 06-26-16
By: Dakota Meyer, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Across the Fence: Expanded Edition
- The Secret War in Vietnam
- By: John Stryker Meyer
- Narrated by: John Stryker Meyer
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For eight years, far beyond the battlefields of Vietnam and the glare of media distortions, American Green Berets fought a deadly secret war in Laos and Cambodia under the aegis of the top secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group, or SOG. Go deep into the jungle with five SOG warriors surrounded by 10,000 enemy troops as they stack up the dead to build a human buttress for protection. Witness a Green Beret, shot in the back four times and left for dead, who survives to fight savagely against incredible odds to complete his missions.
-
-
Great Great Great
- By Stuta on 02-26-20
-
Hazardous Duty
- America's Most Decorated Living Soldier Reports from the Front and Tells the Way It Is
- By: David H. Hackworth
- Narrated by: David H. Hackworth
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hazardous Duty is a real-life, hard-hitting nonfiction thriller set in the ruins of Bosnia and the sands of Saudi Arabia, the deadly alleys of Mogadishu and the teeming streets of Port-au-Prince. Colonel Hackworth returns from these new American battlefields to report that the Pentagon is wasting hundred of billions of dollars gearing up to fight the wrong kind of wars, and offers a tough-love critique of American military leadership, interpreting the new post-Cold War conflicts.
-
-
It's not "About Face"
- By J on 08-22-15
-
SOG
- The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam
- By: John L. Plaster
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Plaster’s riveting account of his covert activities as a member of a special operations team during the Vietnam War is “a true insider’s account...this eye-opening report will leave readers feeling as if they’ve been given a hot scoop on a highly classified project” (Publishers Weekly). Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most secret elite US military unit to serve in the Vietnam War - so secret that its very existence was denied by the government.
-
-
More, give me more.
- By LEE on 03-06-19
By: John L. Plaster
-
Guns Up!
- A Firsthand Account of the Vietnam War
- By: Johnnie Clark
- Narrated by: John Fehskens
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Guns up!" was the battle cry that sent machine gunners racing forward with their M60s to mow down the enemy, hoping that this wasn't the day they would meet their deaths. Marine Johnnie Clark heard that the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam was seven to ten seconds after a firefight began. Johnnie was only eighteen when he got there, at the height of the bloody Tet Offensive at Hue, and he quickly realized the grim statistic held a chilling truth.
-
-
Saddle Up!
- By Sabrina Blaich on 05-05-25
By: Johnnie Clark
-
Leaders
- Myth and Reality
- By: General Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, Jay Mangone
- Narrated by: Paul Michael, General Stanley McChrystal
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stan McChrystal served for 34 years in the US Army, rising from a second lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division to a four-star general, in command of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. During those years he worked with countless leaders and pondered an ancient question: "What makes a leader great?" He came to realize that there is no simple answer. McChrystal profiles 13 famous leaders from a wide range of eras and fields - from corporate CEOs to politicians and revolutionaries. He uses their stories to explore how leadership works in practice.
-
-
McChrystal should be embarrassed
- By Sean on 10-23-18
By: General Stanley McChrystal, and others
-
Crisis of Command
- How We Lost Trust and Confidence in America's Generals and Politicians
- By: Stuart Scheller
- Narrated by: Stuart Scheller
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Combat-decorated Marine officer Stuart Scheller speaks out against the debacle of the Afghan pullout as the culmination of a decades-long and still-ongoing betrayal of military members by top leadership, from generals to the commander in chief, comes to light.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Jake M on 12-08-22
By: Stuart Scheller
-
Across the Fence: Expanded Edition
- The Secret War in Vietnam
- By: John Stryker Meyer
- Narrated by: John Stryker Meyer
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For eight years, far beyond the battlefields of Vietnam and the glare of media distortions, American Green Berets fought a deadly secret war in Laos and Cambodia under the aegis of the top secret Military Assistance Command Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group, or SOG. Go deep into the jungle with five SOG warriors surrounded by 10,000 enemy troops as they stack up the dead to build a human buttress for protection. Witness a Green Beret, shot in the back four times and left for dead, who survives to fight savagely against incredible odds to complete his missions.
-
-
Great Great Great
- By Stuta on 02-26-20
-
Hazardous Duty
- America's Most Decorated Living Soldier Reports from the Front and Tells the Way It Is
- By: David H. Hackworth
- Narrated by: David H. Hackworth
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hazardous Duty is a real-life, hard-hitting nonfiction thriller set in the ruins of Bosnia and the sands of Saudi Arabia, the deadly alleys of Mogadishu and the teeming streets of Port-au-Prince. Colonel Hackworth returns from these new American battlefields to report that the Pentagon is wasting hundred of billions of dollars gearing up to fight the wrong kind of wars, and offers a tough-love critique of American military leadership, interpreting the new post-Cold War conflicts.
-
-
It's not "About Face"
- By J on 08-22-15
-
SOG
- The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam
- By: John L. Plaster
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Plaster’s riveting account of his covert activities as a member of a special operations team during the Vietnam War is “a true insider’s account...this eye-opening report will leave readers feeling as if they’ve been given a hot scoop on a highly classified project” (Publishers Weekly). Code-named the Studies and Observations Group, SOG was the most secret elite US military unit to serve in the Vietnam War - so secret that its very existence was denied by the government.
-
-
More, give me more.
- By LEE on 03-06-19
By: John L. Plaster
-
Guns Up!
- A Firsthand Account of the Vietnam War
- By: Johnnie Clark
- Narrated by: John Fehskens
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Guns up!" was the battle cry that sent machine gunners racing forward with their M60s to mow down the enemy, hoping that this wasn't the day they would meet their deaths. Marine Johnnie Clark heard that the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam was seven to ten seconds after a firefight began. Johnnie was only eighteen when he got there, at the height of the bloody Tet Offensive at Hue, and he quickly realized the grim statistic held a chilling truth.
-
-
Saddle Up!
- By Sabrina Blaich on 05-05-25
By: Johnnie Clark
-
Leaders
- Myth and Reality
- By: General Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, Jay Mangone
- Narrated by: Paul Michael, General Stanley McChrystal
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stan McChrystal served for 34 years in the US Army, rising from a second lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division to a four-star general, in command of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. During those years he worked with countless leaders and pondered an ancient question: "What makes a leader great?" He came to realize that there is no simple answer. McChrystal profiles 13 famous leaders from a wide range of eras and fields - from corporate CEOs to politicians and revolutionaries. He uses their stories to explore how leadership works in practice.
-
-
McChrystal should be embarrassed
- By Sean on 10-23-18
By: General Stanley McChrystal, and others
-
Crisis of Command
- How We Lost Trust and Confidence in America's Generals and Politicians
- By: Stuart Scheller
- Narrated by: Stuart Scheller
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Combat-decorated Marine officer Stuart Scheller speaks out against the debacle of the Afghan pullout as the culmination of a decades-long and still-ongoing betrayal of military members by top leadership, from generals to the commander in chief, comes to light.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Jake M on 12-08-22
By: Stuart Scheller
-
Leadership Strategy and Tactics (Field Manual Expanded Edition)
- By: Jocko Willink
- Narrated by: Jocko Willink
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leadership is the most challenging of human endeavors. It is often misunderstood. It can bewilder, mystify, and frustrate even the most dedicated practitioners. Leaders at all levels are often forced to use theoretical guesswork to make decisions and lead their troops. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. There are principles that can be applied and tenets that can be followed. There are skills that can be learned and maneuvers that can be practiced and executed. There are leadership strategies and tactics that have been tested and proven on the battlefield, in business, and in life.
-
-
Lead by design
- By Ultra Mario on 01-30-24
By: Jocko Willink
-
Things I'll Never Forget
- Memories of a Marine in Viet Nam
- By: James M. Dixon
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Things I’ll Never Forget is the story of a young high school graduate in 1965 who faces being drafted into the Army or volunteering for the Marine Corps. These are his memories of funny times, disgusting times and deadly times. The author kept a journal for an entire year; therefore many of the dates, times and places are accurate. The rest is based on memories that are forever tattooed on his brain. This is not a pro-war book, nor is it anti-war. It is the true story of what the Marine Corps was like in the late 1960’s.
-
-
Accurate Description
- By USMC VIETVET on 07-02-19
By: James M. Dixon
-
Point Man
- By: Chief James Watson, Kevin Dockery
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chief Petty Officer James "Patches" Watson was there at the start. One of the first to come out of the famed Underwater Demolition Team 21, he was an initial member—a "plank owner"—of America's deadliest and most elite fighting force, the U.S. Navy SEALs. Through three tours in the jungle hell of Vietnam, he walked the point—staying alert to trip wires, booby traps, and punji pits, guiding his squad of amphibious fighters on missions of rescue, reconnaissance, and demolition—confronting a war's unique terrors head-on, unprotected . . . and unafraid.
-
-
Great book with fresh stories
- By melamama on 06-28-24
By: Chief James Watson, and others
-
Hal Moore on Leadership
- Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned
- By: Harold G. Moore, Mike Guardia
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hal Moore led his life by a set of principles - a code developed through years of experience, trial-and-error, and the study of leaders of every stripe. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Moore's life touched upon many historical events: the Occupation of Japan, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the refashioning of the US Army into an all-volunteer force. At each juncture, he learned critical lessons and had opportunities to affect change through measured responses.
-
-
Exceptional Book On Leadership
- By WM on 09-12-18
By: Harold G. Moore, and others
-
Blood on the Risers
- An Airborne Soldier's Thirty-five Months in Vietnam
- By: John Leppelman
- Narrated by: Scott Sowers
- Length: 2 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In three straight years he was a paratrooper, an army seaman, and a LRRP - and he lived to tell about it. As an FNG paratrooper in the 173d Airborne, John Leppelman made that unit's only combat jump in Vietnam. Then he spent months in fruitless search of the enemy, watching as his buddies died because of poor leadership and lousy weapons. Often it seemed the only way out of the carnage in the central highlands was in a body bag. But Leppelman did get out.
-
-
Missing Chapters
- By James S. on 07-28-18
By: John Leppelman
-
Into the Fire
- A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
- By: Dakota Meyer, Bing West
- Narrated by: Zach McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out 100 men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, 21 year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
-
-
Exceptional Memoir
- By Jean on 06-26-16
By: Dakota Meyer, and others
-
12 Strong
- The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers
- By: Doug Stanton
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
12 Strong is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered 40 to one, they pursued the enemy army across the mountainous Afghanistan terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn.
-
-
Terrible Narrator
- By Julie-Ana on 12-31-16
By: Doug Stanton
-
No Easy Day
- The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
- By: Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the streets of Iraq to the mountaintops of Afghanistan and to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden's compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group - commonly known as SEAL Team Six - has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines. No Easy Day puts listeners alongside Owen and the other handpicked members of the 24-man team as they train for the biggest mission of their lives.
-
-
Gripping, first-hand narrative of Op Neptune Spear
- By Darwin8u on 09-04-12
By: Mark Owen, and others
-
One Bullet Away
- The Making of Marine Officer
- By: Nathaniel Fick
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Fick
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former captain in the Marines' First Recon Battalion, who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, reveals how the Corps trains its elite and offers a point-blank account of twenty-first-century battle. Fick's training begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth, and advances to the pinnacle, Recon, four years later, on the eve of war with Iraq.
-
-
Book incomplete.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-06-17
By: Nathaniel Fick
-
The Outpost
- An Untold Story of American Valor
- By: Jake Tapper
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 6:00 a.m. on the morning of October 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was viciously attacked by Taliban insurgents. The 53 U.S. troops, having been stationed at the bottom of three steep mountains, were severely outmanned by nearly 400 Taliban fighters. Though the Americans ultimately prevailed, their casualties made it one of the war's deadliest battles for U.S. forces. And after more than three years in that dangerous and vulnerable valley a mere 14 miles from the Pakistan border, the U.S. abandoned and bombed the camp.
-
-
Good, could have been great.
- By Ryan on 01-22-13
By: Jake Tapper
-
The Hunter Killers
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gripping chronicle of the band of maverick aviators who signed on for the suicidal, dangerous top-secret "Wild Weasel" missions during the Vietnam War - which used controversial and revolutionary tactics to combat Soviet missile technology - from New York Times best-selling author Dan Hampton.
-
-
False Advertising
- By Stephen Ford on 08-31-15
By: Dan Hampton
-
Red Platoon
- A True Story of American Valor
- By: Clinton Romesha
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Clinton Romesha
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2009 Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the US military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after Keating's construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: It was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend.
-
-
Must Read for Comfortable, Non-combatant Americans
- By Rum Runner on 11-21-18
By: Clinton Romesha
What listeners say about About Face
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alex
- 01-19-20
Very long, but worth it!
About face can be an expression that means to take the opposite opinion. Very true with this book. Recommended by Jocko, approved by thousands of happy listeners. Many lessons, war stories, and critiques throughout the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 07-21-21
Simply the Best
This book was one of the first few I listened to after joining audible. Initially I was a bit skeptical about how far I'd get into a 40 hour long audiobook before moving on. I soon found myself unable to listen to anything else until I had finished it, and I am about to listen to it again! For almost a month, every commute and any other time I'd normally listen to music or an audio book I chose to listen to About Face exclusively. I just couldn't stop! Once you get past the introductions it is a nonstop barrage of visceral storytelling, heroism, brotherhood, life lessons, and leadership.
This book is like no other I have found since. The scope and depth of this great man's experiences are unrivaled, on war or otherwise. David Hackworth was a maverick and pioneer that made a lasting impact on the Army, the military, and on understanding leadership and brotherhood in its rawest form.
If you like war memoirs or are a leader or aspiring leader, this is a must read or listen. Or if you simply want to learn more about post WWII America and the Korean and Vietnam wars, this is a must listen. It will entertain, engage, instruct, and guide you all the way through. One of the best parts about it is that it is not meant to be a book on leadership, military tactics, or navigating bureaucracies, but it accomplishes all of that and more.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Micah Balch
- 07-19-19
Jockos top pick
Definitely had my knowledge expanded about both the Korean War and the Vietnam war. This is a great book with a good narrator, I definitely would recommend getting it. And getting after it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adolfo S. Montero
- 03-21-21
Great leadership reading
Another reading that can help become a better leader. This should be on a list of anyone in or going in military or civilian service from every country.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Danny
- 04-01-20
Lots of interesting stories
Loved this audio book, funny, shocking and very interesting. It should be required reading for any future solider, to at least know that you ave getting into.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Diego Arredondo
- 04-27-20
a must read
so many lessons about history, human nature and leadership. many relatable histories about a business that reassembles that much the nature of the man endeavors.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nicholas C. Wilson
- 10-29-20
Must read for current Soldiers
It was a long listen, but well worth it. I believe that much of what he talks about unfortunately is still present in our great armed forces.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Russell
- 04-29-20
A book that you don’t want to end.
About Face is an engaging and entertaining book that tells the story of a true American hero. The book is long and entertaining the whole way. I was sad when it ended. I wish the were all this good. The narrator is fantastic as well!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barbara
- 05-25-21
Powerful Book
Loved it. The best book that I have ever read. Must read for all Americans.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nick M
- 09-29-19
Amazing narration
The narrator did this story MORE than justice. Emphasized the right words and phrases in all the right ways. Thanks for making this already incredible story even better.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!