General McCHRYSTAL at Microsoft - My Share of the Task: A Memoir
General STANLEY
McCHRYSTAL retired in July 2010 as a four-star general in the U.S. Army. His
last assignment was as the commander of the International Security Assistance
Force and as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He had previously
served as the director of the Joint Staff and as the commander of the Joint
Special Operations Command. He is currently a senior fellow at Yale
University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the cofounder of the
McChrystal Group, a leadership consulting firm. He and his wife of thirty-five
years, Annie, live in Virginia.
My Share
of the Task: A Memoir by General Stanley McChrystal
The candid memoir of one of America's most influential and
controversial generals
“Never shall I fail my comrades. . . . I will shoulder more than
my share of the task, whatever it may be, one hundred percent and then some.”
—from the Ranger Creed
In early March 2010, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding
officer of all U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, walked with President
Hamid Karzai through a small rural bazaar. As Afghan townspeople crowded
around them, a Taliban rocket loudly thudded into the ground some distance
away. Karzai looked to McChrystal, who shrugged. The two leaders continued
greeting the townspeople and listening to their views.
That trip was typical of McChrystal’s entire career, from his
first day as a West Point plebe to his last day as a four-star general. The
values he has come to be widely admired for were evident: a hunger to know the
truth on the ground, the courage to find it, and the humility to listen to
those around him. Even as a senior commander, McChrystal stationed himself
forward, and frequently went on patrols with his troops to experience their
challenges firsthand.
In this illuminating memoir, McChrystal frankly explores the major
episodes and controversies of his eventful career. He delves candidly into the
intersection of history, leadership, and his own experience to produce a book
of enduring value.
Joining the troubled post-Vietnam army as a young officer,
McChrystal witnessed and participated in some of our military’s most difficult
struggles. He describes the many outstanding leaders he served with and the
handful of bad leaders he learned not to emulate. He paints a vivid portrait of
the traditional military establishment that turned itself, in one generation,
into the adaptive, resilient force that would soon be tested in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and the wider War on Terror.
McChrystal spent much of his early career in the world of special
operations, at a time when these elite forces became increasingly effective—and
necessary. He writes of a fight waged in the shadows by the Joint Special
Operations Command (JSOC), which he led from 2003 to 2008. JSOC became one of
our most effective counterterrorism weapons, facing off against Al Qaeda in
Iraq.
Over time, JSOC gathered staggering amounts of intelligence in
order to find and remove the most influential and dangerous terrorists,
including the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The hunt for
Zarqawi drives some of the most gripping scenes in this book, as McChrystal’s
team grappled with tricky interrogations, advanced but scarce technology, weeks
of unbroken surveillance, and agonizing decisions.
McChrystal brought the same energy to the war in Afghanistan,
where the challenges loomed even larger. His revealing account draws on his
close relationships with Afghan leaders, giving readers a unique window into
the war and the country.
Ultimately, My Share of the Task is about much more than war and
peace, terrorism and counterinsurgency. As McChrystal writes, “More by luck
than design, I’d been a part of some events, organizations, and efforts that
will loom large in history, and more that will not. I saw selfless commitment,
petty politics, unspeakable cruelty, and quiet courage in places and quantities
that I’d never have imagined. But what I will remember most are the leaders.”
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