-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a prelude to war! Air Force Times Published: 11-22-99 Category: LIFELINES Page: 28 'Hack' On A New Tack / Military Maverick Creates Alter Ego In First Novel By Mike Glenn It only takes a few minutes thumbing through "The Price of Honor" to figure out that the author is Col. David Hackworth, the controversial retired Army officer and perpetual "burr under the saddle" of the Pentagon brass. While he gained a devoted, if underground, following among many in uniform with his searing autobiography, "About Face," Hackworth said he wrote his first novel to communicate with a general public that has little to no connection with today's military. "I was preaching to the choir," Hackworth said in an Oct. 20 interview. "But, if I went with fiction, I could increase my congregation and get people to listen to some fresh ideas." Special Forces Capt. Sandy Caine, the hero in Hackworth's novel, comes from a long line of soldiers but yet, in the author's words, "was no traditionalist. He broke things, rules, icons, not just gas masks." Caine gets on the bad side of his martinet commander when he questions an order to stage the "snatch and grab" of a Somali warlord that could derail the American peacekeeping mission in that troubled region. The raid begins to go haywire almost from the start, and Caine, his A-Team and an investigative reporter along for the ride barely manage to escape with their skins. The Green Beret and the reporter, Abigail Mancini, meet again in Bosnia during another dubious, politically charged mission. After the inevitable romp in the sack -- which Hackworth describes in surprisingly lurid detail -- she convinces Caine to reveal the dark secret that has been haunting him for years: His father apparently died a coward's death in Vietnam. Caine's obsession with clearing his family's name and the political repercussions that follow provide the framework of this fine, action-packed novel. Hackworth expertly taps into his 25-year military career to load the book with enough gunfire to satisfy even the most manic Soldier of Fortune devotee. He also manages to toss more than a few barbs at some of his favorite targets: pork-barrel politicians, bloated defense contractors and "perfumed princes," his term for military leaders more concerned with piling stars on their shoulders than ensuring the safety of their troops. Hackworth said he tried his hand at fiction writing after hearing that some Washington insiders were touting fellow techno-thriller writer Tom Clancy as a potential defense secretary. He realized that novels could be more influential than nonfiction. For a man who fought in Korea and Vietnam, and today is on the final approach for 70, Hackworth is surprisingly fit. As he chopped away at a breakfast apple with a lock knife, "Hack" needed little prodding to opine on today's military and what he thinks it will take to fix it. "Behind any great republic, you've got to have people with a strong sense of the warrior ethic," he said. "When you take that away, what you have is a corporation." -----end of review--- **COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
