Honorable Warrior - General Harold K.Johnson and the Ethics of Command

A man of extraordinary inner strength and patriotic devotion, General Harold K. Johnson was a soldier's officer, loved by his men and admired by his peers for his leadership, courage, and moral convictions. Lewis Sorley's biography provides a fitting testament to this remarkable man, who rose from obscurity to become LBJ's Army Chief of Staff during the Vietnam War. A native of North Dakota, Johnson survived more than three grueling years as a POW under the Japanese during World War II before serving brilliantly as a field commander in the Korean War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism". These experiences led to a series of high-level positions culminating in his appointment as Army chief in 1964. Johnson fundamentally disagreed with the three men running our war in Vietnam: LBJ, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and General William Westmoreland. He was sharply critical of LBJ's piecemeal policy of gradual escalation and failure to mobilize the national will or call up the reserves. He was equally despondent over Westmoreland's now infamous search-and-destroy tactics and reliance on body counts to measure success in Vietnam.

Summary

This is a biography of General Harold K. Johnson who rose from obscurity to become LBJ's Army Chief of Staff during the Vietnam War. This should have been a rewarding military career for Johnson but he became mixed up in the politics and ordeal of the war.

Product details

• Authors: Lewis Sorley
• Publisher: University Press Of Kansas
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.04.1998
• EAN: 9780700608867
• ISBN: 978-0-7006-0886-7
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 165 mm x 243 mm x 31 mm
• Weight: 865 g
• Illustrations: 37 photographs
• Series: Modern War Studies; Modern War Studies (Hardcover); Modern War Studies; Modern War Studies (Hardcover)
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political administration