Once An Eagle
by Anton Myrer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anton MyrerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-05-07
ISBN: 0060084359
Number of pages: 1312
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of Once An Eagle
Book Review: Does Our (U.S.) Military Leadership Not Get The Irony?
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book, but not for the reasons the military would have you read it.
I'm getting ready to retire from the U.S. Army next year after 30 years of service. I have loved virtually every moment of my career, having gotten to do things I never could have done in a civilian job. I've lived in strange places, picked up strange diseases, and experienced quite a few strange things. It was GREAT serving my country and being a part of a long line of citizen-soldiers who were (and are) proud to defend the "Stars & Stripes." I began my career as the last members of the "Greatest Generation" were passing into the history books and will end my career watching the next "Greatest Generation" - the men and women who are fighting global terrorism, not as draftees, but as volunteers write their names into the annals of our country's history. We Americans should be proud of each and every one of these young lads and lasses and should never forget them as we go about the day-to-day business of our very comfortable and safe lives.
Preface now completed, let me succinctly say that my particular specialty allowed me to have regular contact with many of the senior military leaders we have seen in the newspapers over the past 15-20 years. And the unfortunate truth is that there far too many self-centered senior officers and far too few selfless ones. In other words, at the senior levels of the U.S. military, the "Courtney Massengales" far outnumber the "Sam Damons." (As an aside, take a look at former officer and current columnist and author Ralph Peters. He gets it very much correct in his descriptions of what happens within the hallowed halls of the Pentagon and on the Metro lines to Capitol Hill and the offices of our mega-sized defense contractors. You'll see the pervasiveness of the Massengales in our government; they far outnumber the less-powerful and less-numerous Damons.)
This shouldn't surprise anyone. The "Massengales" protect their own, ensuring their proteges are promoted into the "right" jobs and continuing a cycle that exists in every bureaucracy. The "Damons" see their rank, responsibility, and position as sacred trusts to the Nation and to the people serving under them. These "Damons" always step up (even if reluctantly) because there is a mission to undertake. The "Massengales" do just enough to give the impression they sacrifice every bit as much as the "Damons," but the truth is they don't - they remain safe, un-incovenienced, and protected. In the eyes of the "Massengales," the "Damons" are tools to be used and frankly, just plain naive, dumb, and expendable when the "crisis de jour" is passed.
So, unless I missed the point of Myrer's beautifully crafted and extremely bittersweet masterpiece, what exactly is the message the U.S. military wants its junior officers to take away from reading "Once An Eagle"? Every way I slice it, I come away feeling the folks who put the book on every service's officer reading lists missed the whole point of the book.
Sam Damon spends his entire life being the faithful, always reliable soldier - whether as an enlisted man or as an officer. He sacrifices everything to serve his country - every aspect of his personal life, any semblance of comfort or relaxation - and ultimately his life as a result of a random act of violence at the start of what ultimately becomes a senseless military involvement in a country which is easily understood as Viet Nam (though given another name in the book).
Courtney Massengale, on the other hand, uses and manipulates. He is the ultimate sycophant and does well because he is only flattering those who have done the same before him. Never spending more than a moment in personal peril, he does just enough to pad his record so that his promotions could never be called into question. By the end of the book, Massengale has it all.
So what should the reader, especially the junior officer, make of all this? By every standard of contemporary American society, Massengale is the true success and clear winner. He circulates in the best of social circles, he lives a life of comfort and influence, and he will retire with a rank most officers only dream of attaining. Damon, on the other hand, is not promoted to a rank which reflects he true capability and competence, and dies alone and wondering.
As I mentioned previously, either I misread (entirely) Myrer's intent or this is a devastating critique of Army (and thus, U.S. military) officer culture. If I did get it right, please allow me one final cynical comment. The reason the book is so highly recommended by our senior military officers is that they just very well might be the "Massengales" we need less of and who, as always, are constantly on the look-out for a few good "Damons" to help them achieve their own personal ends.
Reading "Once An Eagle" is a highly emotional and visceral experience. But I loved this book. I have several copies and they occupy prominent places on several different book shelves. Having said this, while I hate the fictional Courtney Massengale and those I have worked for and with during my career who so closely resemble him, I can't say I feel much sympathy for Sam Damon either. And therein lies the irony. Damon's devotion to duty was exactly what Courtney Massengale needed and Damon provided it willingly. So while we can't find anything to like about Massengale, I'm not sure we shouldn't hold Damon somewhat responsible for making Massengale a success. Damon's rationale that Massengale's success was an unfortunate by-product of a greater need is noble, but deficient in reasoning. Why must the "Massengales" succeed? Could there not have been an option which allowed the crisis to be met and defeated while at the same time deny the Massengales so much success? In theory, probably there was/is, but in practice, it is surely a pipe dream. So while I am both the eternal pessimist that men like Massengale will always exist, I remain the eternal optimist that a way can be found to defeat the "Massengales" and promote the "Damons." So I am hard on Sam Damon, but can't be unduly critical. For it is the "Damons" of history that have at great cost protected and defended our great country, even if there have always been "Massengales" who put (and continue to do so) their own interests first and their country's second.
A sad, but brilliant, masterpiece. A classic of not only military fiction, but American literature in general. "Once An Eagle" deserves a high spot on any list of American greats. But not for any of the reasons many of our senior officers think.
Summary of Once An Eagle
Once An Eagle is the story of one special man, a soldier named Sam Damon, and his adversary over a lifetime, fellow officer Courtney Massengale. Damon is a professional who puts duty, honor, and the men he commands above self interest. Massengale, however, brilliantly advances by making the right connections behind the lines and in Washington's corridors of power.
Beginning in the French countryside during the Great War, the conflict between these adversaries solidifies in the isolated garrison life marking peacetime, intensifies in the deadly Pacific jungles of World War 11, and reaches its treacherous conclusion in the last major battleground of the Cold War -- Vietnam.
A study in character and values, courage, nobility, honesty, and selflessness, here is an unforgettable story about a man who embdies the best in our nation -- and in us all.
America's fighting men have turned to Once an Eagle as a sourcebook for the military's core values since its publication at the height of the Vietnam War. The novel, following the careers of virtuous Sam Damon and opportunistic Courtney Massengale, is required reading for all members of the United States Marine Corps and frequently taught in leadership courses at West Point.
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