(Originally posted on AMAC Newsline)
Twenty years ago, America lost one of its fiercest warriors and most principled voices: Colonel David H. Hackworth. But two decades on, his story of heroism and moral courage and insights on leadership remain as relevant as ever – particularly for our military brass as they confront a bureaucracy bloated with careerists in a world growing more dangerous by the day.
Right to the very end, Hackworth, or “Hack” as most knew him, was no stranger to battle. From lying about his age to join the Merchant Marines at 14, to earning 78 combat awards—including two Distinguished Service Crosses, ten Silver Stars, and eight Purple Hearts—he lived and breathed the “grunt’s life.” On May 4, 2005, he succumbed to bladder cancer after a grueling fight.