Action packed from start to finish, this account of a turbulent career describes his battles both with the recognised enemy, and the system he was part of. Hackworth paints vivid (and not always flattering) portraits of well known figures such as historian "Slam" Marshall, as well as the unknown and unsung heroes he fought beside.

He describes the inertia which afflicted US army doctrine after WW2, leading to Vietnam, where tactics developed on the European battlefield were use unsuccessfully against a guerilla army.