From Vietnam to 9/11: On the Front Lines of National Security - Hardcover

Murtha, John P.; Plashal, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0271022396 ISBN 13: 9780271022390

Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003

Synopsis

In 1974, John P. "Jack" Murtha became the first Vietnam combat veteran to be elected to Congress. Since then, Congressman Murtha has been intimately involved with governmental decisions about America's national security and foreign policy. Avoiding dry, detached analysis, this book presents the revealing story of an insider's involvement with international affairs and the lessons the author learned from those experiences. Jack Murtha offers candid observations of the most important international crises in recent history. From Vietnam and the Lebanon to Bosnia and Afghanistan, the volume details America's failures as well as its successes, pointing out where policy-making was misguided or ill-informed and offering perceptive analyses of resource allocation and policy direction for the coming century.

About this title

Review:

"This is a book that should be included in every history and current events collection."

--Vicki Rock, Daily American

"He offers candid opinions and observations without being overly critical about decisions he did not support."

--John Como, Indiana (PA) Gazette

"He offers candid opinions and observations without being overly critical about decisions he did not support."--John Como, Indiana (PA) Gazette

"Part policy statement and part memoir, the book shows Murtha's flair for detail and sense of humor without ever letting off the hook leaders he believed had compromised the safety of American soldiers."--Herald-Standard

"Congressman Murtha has written an insightful and powerful account of his life of public service and of the significant events in our nation's recent history that he has witnessed. It is a first-hand account by one of the most respected members of our Congress. This is a must-read if you want to hear it straight from a savvy man of action who was there making history."--General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Retired)

"I expected the book to be the usual 'walks on water, leaps over tall buildings' political puffery that such books can be. It wasn't; it is much better than that. It is an analytical history of defense and foreign affairs matters that Murtha has been involved in from the Vietnam War through Sept. 11. He makes his comments from the informed position of longtime membership on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, the panel responsible for appropriating the money for America's various military ventures.Best of all, many of his observations are very relevant to what Americans are going through right now as the country appears to be headed for a major regional war in the Middle East."--Dan Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"This is a sober, intelligent, insightful book written by a veteran of Congress who has been involved in most of the major foreign policy decisions of the last quarter century. Currently the ranking Democrat on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Murtha has had a unique vantage point on the passing scene"--Richard Robbins, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"It is a history that should be required reading for any class wanting to learn the story of the country's dealings with the world over the past half-century."--Patrick Cloonan, McKeesport Daily News

He offers candid opinions and observations without being overly critical about decisions he did not support. John Como, Indiana (PA) Gazette"

Part policy statement and part memoir, the book shows Murtha s flair for detail and sense of humor without ever letting off the hook leaders he believed had compromised the safety of American soldiers. Herald-Standard"

About the Author:

John P. Murtha graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in economics and did graduate work in economics and political science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 1966, Jack Murtha volunteered to serve in Vietnam, where he was twice wounded; he received the Bronze Star with Combat "V," two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He was elected to Congress in 1974, where he still serves today. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1990.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0271022396
• ISBN 13: 9780271022390
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 280