A Cavalryman's Story: Memoirs of a Twentieth-Century Army General

by Hamilton H. Howze

The retired general's memoir chronicles the story of a professional soldier born into West Point lineage, and today recognized as the father of US Army Airmobile tactics. Howze recaptures his experiences in World War II, and his work beginning in the 1950s to create a sky cavalry, replacing ground vehicles with helicopters. The life story portrays a "gentleman officer" in a modern army, and conveys some of the military's absurdities without a critical stance. Includes black and white photographs. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: Military Fiction

316 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[William Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This autobiography reads like a conversation between the reader and the General! Hamilton Howze comes from a long lineage of military members and was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy where his father had served as Commandant. Howze saw action in WWII and was a successful commander although from his telling he was more lucky than an excellent commander. He is humble but when he describes the actions he took to improve the training of his soldiers and the standards he set for success the reader can deduce that there is far more than luck involved. Howze was a cavalryman as the title points out but he understood the employment of all the other elements of the army and other armed services. He was innovative and is considered one of the founders of Army aviation especially helicopter employment. He served in South Korea as an advisor and later as Commander of UN Forces in South Korea. He commander the 82nd Airborne Division and later the XVIIIth Airborne Corps. He learned to fly and became an Army Aviator. His greatest contribution to the Army came in the Howze Board that set the foundation for Army Aviation. He expresses some opinions that are counter to how the Army has evolved for example he didn't like the changes in West Point that degraded the purpose of the Military Academy like the admission of women and the changes in the curriculum like majoring in "industrial management!" I accept those opinions as a sign of his time but find them incongruent with his otherwise innovative spirit.
I enjoyed this book especially the writing style. If one want to develop as a leader, one should study how successful leaders achieved their success. This book is one I recommend to future leaders.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a solid read. It's a good story of an officer serving across multiple generations of the Army. Recommended.