Comments on: David Hackworth fades away.

David Hackworth fades away.

snarkout — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:34:15 -0800

Col. David Hackworth, who billed himself as America's most decorated living soldier (he had eight Purple Hearts and ten Silver Stars), died in Mexico this week at age 74. Hackworth saw combat in World War II (having joined the Army at 15), Korea, and Vietnam; in 1967 he and Gen. Samuel Marshall wrote the Vietnam Primer, a "lessons learned" document prepared for the Army to explain how not to fight a guerilla war. In 1971, after years in-country, Hackworth turned publically against the war, telling ABC News that it could not be won and moving to Australia, where his anti-nuclear efforts earned him a United Nations Medal for Peace. Hackworth was a distinguished war correspondent, a self-appointed advocate for the average soldier who used his website as a soapbox, a best-selling author, a critic of American tactics in the Iraq War, and possibly the only figure respected by both WorldNetDaily and Common Dreams.

By: MLIS

MLIS — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:35:03 -0800

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:36:58 -0800

. *salutes*

By: amberglow

amberglow — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:49:43 -0800

. he was great--we need more outspoken military people unafraid of offending those making terrible decisions.

By: mk1gti

mk1gti — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:51:54 -0800

. *salutes* and a further . Rest in peace, Hack . . .

By: TonyRobots

TonyRobots — Fri, 06 May 2005 09:57:52 -0800

. Excellent FPP, snark.

By: Scoo

Scoo — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:00:52 -0800

*removes hat* .

By: AlexReynolds

AlexReynolds — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:08:24 -0800

By: drezdn

drezdn — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:16:41 -0800

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:21:58 -0800

By: teece

teece — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:30:10 -0800

I was bummed when I heard this. I never realized he was that old. He didn't look it to me. Great man.

By: stenseng

stenseng — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:37:15 -0800

By: prostyle

prostyle — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:38:14 -0800

By: furtive

furtive — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:43:18 -0800

Anyone find a pic of his salad bar?

By: snarkout

snarkout — Fri, 06 May 2005 10:49:26 -0800

And no disrespect intended to Col. Hackworth's memory, but this highly skeptical overview of his career as a military correspondent and pundit is also worth reading.

By: gsb

gsb — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:06:38 -0800

Brilliant post, thanks.

By: longbaugh

longbaugh — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:11:07 -0800

That Slate article is awful snarkout - I have never seen such a terrible misunderstanding of what a soldier needs to be able to do. Comparing an officer wearing medals he hasn't earned to stealing military vehicles and equipment he needed to get his job done? Everyone knows the most useful man in any unit is the scrounger. That article's authors must have a serious axe-grinding issue. It's good to see a balanced perspective on anything but that was just *ewwwww* Charles Krohn - media adviser for David Nash, Ex Navy Admiral running the Program Management Office in Iraq. David Plotz - freelance writer and Slate Washington Bureau Chief. That explains their point of view then...

By: Numenorian

Numenorian — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:16:06 -0800

By: wolftrouble

wolftrouble — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:21:19 -0800

By: Duncan

Duncan — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:22:17 -0800

By: johnny vagabond

johnny vagabond — Fri, 06 May 2005 11:30:02 -0800

RIP

By: graventy

graventy — Fri, 06 May 2005 12:44:55 -0800

By: rzklkng

rzklkng — Fri, 06 May 2005 13:14:12 -0800

By: NotMyselfRightNow

NotMyselfRightNow — Fri, 06 May 2005 13:41:23 -0800

By: NotMyselfRightNow

NotMyselfRightNow — Fri, 06 May 2005 13:46:41 -0800

Individual Decorations & Service Medals: Distinguished Service Cross (with one Oak Leaf Cluster) Silver Star (with nine Oak Leaf Clusters) Legion of Merit (with three Oak Leaf Clusters) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal (with "V" Device & seven Oak Leaf Clusters)(Seven of the awards for heroism) Purple Heart (with seven Oak Leaf Clusters) Air Medal (with "V" Device & Numeral 34)(One for heroism and 33 for aerial achievement) Army Commendation Medal (w/ "V" Device & 3 Oak Leaf Clusters) Good Conduct Medal World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal (with Germany and Japan Clasps) National Defense Service Medal (with one Bronze Service Star) Korean Service Medal (with Service Stars for eight campaigns) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal (2 Silver Service Stars = 10 campaigns) Armed Forces Reserve Medal Unit Awards: Presidential Unit Citation Valorous Unit Award (with one Oak Leaf Cluster) Meritorious Unit Commendation Badges & Tabs: Combat Infantryman Badge (w/ one Star; representing 2 awards) Master Parachutist Badge Army General Staff Identification Badge Foreign Awards: United Nations Service Medal (Korea) Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960) Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (with two Gold Stars) Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (with two Silver Stars) Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal (1st Class) Vietnam Staff Service Medal (1st Class) Vietnam Army Distinguished Service Order, 2d Class Vietnam Parachutist Badge (Master Level) Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (with three Palm oak leaf clusters) Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Honor Medal, First Class Unit Citation (with one Palm oak leaf cluster) World War II Merchant Marine Awards: Pacific War Zone Bar Victory Medal

By: harry hood

harry hood — Fri, 06 May 2005 14:02:37 -0800

I remember reading that at one point in his life he was living in Montana and as a Boy Scout leader he would hand out his service medals as merit badges to his " troops ".RIP

By: alumshubby

alumshubby — Fri, 06 May 2005 16:09:08 -0800

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Fri, 06 May 2005 17:00:30 -0800

By: Heatwole

Heatwole — Fri, 06 May 2005 17:30:36 -0800

By: UseyurBrain

UseyurBrain — Fri, 06 May 2005 17:31:49 -0800

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Fri, 06 May 2005 17:33:32 -0800

. absolutely that guy was one tough bastard

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Fri, 06 May 2005 22:46:38 -0800

One hell of a soldier, no matter how you slice it. But I didn't always appreciate his (what seemed to be) incessant criticism of the military -- it seemed that nothing that was done since his retirement was done correctly or for the right reasons. But...no denying his leadership, his courage, or his soldiering. Also...am I the only one who thinks that his catchphrase "perfumed princes" was just weird?

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Sat, 07 May 2005 01:35:49 -0800

A good soldier, Colonel Hackworth went to war under the Defense Secretaries he had, not the Defense Secretaries he'd wanted.

By: Hackworth

Hackworth — Mon, 16 May 2005 19:05:08 -0800

rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.