Colonel David H. Hackworth, 1930-2005, RIP

I recently found out that Col. David Hackworth had passed away. Hack was a pretty special guy. He really lived the “American dream”. He grew up an orphan and later joined the Army at the end of World War II. He rose in rank to command an infantry battalion in Vietnam. He would later blow the whistle on what he considered the mishandling of the war effort by senior leadership. At the time he was considered one of the most promising officers in the Army and would have undoubtedly gone on to general’s stars. Despite his inauspicious exit from the Army, he focused his efforts on business and later became a millionaire running a very popular restaurant in Australia.

What made Hack special was the fact that his meteoric ascension in rank was caused by his combat record and not because of politics or the “good-ole-boy” network. What really made Hack the real deal was his abilities as a guerilla fighter. He was also very capable in motivating even the sorriest troopers, instilling pride and sense of purpose. That ability coupled with his love of soldiers, kept him from wasting his troops lives needlessly and endeared him to his troops.

Looking back, Hack pissed off many heavy hitters and probably took part in some “activities” that were outside of regs, but most of the time this was done to improve the welfare of his men. As far as I'm concerned the old adage still applies, "all's fair in love and war".

I recently corresponded with a close friend of Hack’s. Here’s what I wrote him.

"Although I hadn't corresponded with Hack in a few years, I felt like I had been punched in the gut when I read the obit. I didn't agree on many of the things Hack went after in the last couple of years (I still feel that you have to chose those fights better than he did, much of that s**t he highlighted, although true, still rolled down onto the kids he was fighting to protect), but I always respected his insights as a warfighter. I brought Steel My Soldiers Hearts with me in theater and used many of his insights from that and the Primer to go after the Fedayeen, especially in Nasiriyah. We killed ~2k enemy in a city that is comparable in size to Najaf, Ramadi and Fallujah and with the exception of Fallujah, we still don't own any of them. His insights had a direct impact on our controlling Nasiriyah in such a short period of time. He was a great man and we are weaker not having him around.
I use that postcard I sent you as a bookmark in my copy of About Face. AF is so worn from being read over and over again that the spine has disintegrated after all these years.
I'll be there in Arlington in my Alpha's when the time comes. I hope to see you there."

Anyway, despite all of the issues that developed over the years with Hack, I'll always remember his words of encouragement and his insights on taking the fight to the enemy.

Colonel, you will be sorely missed.
Semper Fidelis.