"Whether he was fifteen years old or forty, David Hackworth devoted himself to the U.S. Army and quickly became a living legend. In 1971, however, he appeared on television to decry the doomed war effort in Vietnam. 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. With About Face, Hackworth has written what many Vietnam veterans have called the most important book of their generation."--Back cover

Previously published in 1990 by Touchstone.

Foreword / by Jocko Willink -- Author's note -- Introduction / by Ward Just -- 6 February 1951 -- Brown shoes -- Hit and run -- The wolfhounds -- By the direction of the president -- The only game in town -- Hill 400 -- They don't have cobwebs in Korea -- Don't look back -- Black shoes -- This ain't the Army, Mr. Jones -- The vanguards -- Screaming eagles -- Tim's traveling trouble -- The year of the horse -- Box seat -- Corporate headquarters -- Death row -- Hardcore -- Born to lose -- A law unto himself -- "Issues and answers" -- A handful of ashes -- Epilogue.