NOW AVAILABLE: Professional Reading Recommendations from the Chief

– March 5, 2012Posted in: Gen. Ray Odierno, Chief of Staff of the Army

U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Ray T. Odierno, shares his professional reading list.

My Professional Reading List has been finalized. Since many of you utilized this forum to provide me with feedback on the early draft, it’s only fitting that I post the final version here for all of you to see and comment on.

Here is a link to access my Professional Reading List: http://ht.ly/9t7of

Thanks to those of you who engaged, and happy reading to all!

General Ray T. Odierno

Tags: Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Raymond Odierno, professional development, U.S Army

http://www.twitter.com/JN_Seattle/ JohnNiles

General,

Thanks for posting your reading list.

I noticed your annotation on “The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story” and of course I agree with your characterization of My Lai as a dark episode in Army history. I am a Navy veteran (1971-74) from the era and did not serve in that conflict, yet my life was impacted by that war — school friends killed, etc. So I took time to visit My Lai as a tourist last year when visiting Viet Nam for a few weeks for the first time. One observes here and there from Saigon to Da Nang to Hanoi many U.S. vets traveling around to see how the country has turned out following what the Viet Nam government calls the “American War.” Recovering well I can report.

At the site of the My Lai massacre there is a memorial museum which graphically describes the horror, and it’s heartbreaking.

I was interested to see your use in the book annotation of “over 500″ (your words?) as the fatality count at My Lai, which grabbed my attention. Here’s a key point: the fatality estimate by the U.S. Army following an extensive investigation was 347 … subject to your verification.

Based on the totality of the displays at the memorial, including a very strong anti-U.S. thematic overlay (of course!) I have reason to think 347 may well be more accurate than the 504 named at the memorial. It would have been very tempting for the creators of the Memorial to add to the count many other war casualties before and after the specific tragedy, including some from other geographies within 30 miles but not there. I’m thinking other relatives and friends of the specific victims or the survivors may have been added to the Memory Wall by the Memorial’s creators. I wouldn’t blame them for doing that.

Still and all, I’m thinking it would be more accurate and true and respectful to the history of the U.S. Army to provide in your annotation the official 347 number as well as the 504 on Viet Nam’s named list, with sources of both. Leaving the number as a simple and casual “over 500″ is a powerful message, but it does not reflect the historical record accurately and I think does a disservice to Viet Nam era veterans of our country.Respectfully,JN
Nathan Hoepner

A good list both in breadth and depth. For my part I would of course add Clausewitz’s “On War,” which I still think is the most complete study of war as a phenomenon that I’ve ever read. On the professional development/history side I would add “Stormtroop Tactics” by Bruce Gudmundsson, which provides a great example of “transformation” in the midst of war by following the German development of what we call Infiltration tactics as a response to the trench stalemate of WW I. Finally, I think “The Winter Soldiers” by Richard Ketchum provides in Washington’s Trenton and Princeton campaign possibly the greatest example our Army has of brilliant leadership in desparate times.
http://twitter.com/RobertBWalker1 Robert B Walker MD

As a kid, one of my teachers told me: “If you want a new idea, read a classic book”. I’ve found it to be true on many occasions.