The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education Review
I enjoyed Mullaney's "The Unforgiving Minute". He is an exceptional writer and brought the scenes in his autobiography alive. I thought the synopsis provided on the back cover of the book was misleading as it talks almost exclusively of Mullaney's combat experience in Afghanistan. That was NOT the focus of this book - an integral part, yes. But this book really journalizes Mullaney's experiences of coming from a blue-collar background and graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, completing Army Ranger school, attending Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, meeting his future wife at Oxford and some of the difficulties faced in a Catholic/Hindu courtship and finally marriage, his combat experiences in Afghanistan, his assignment to the "Old Guard"(3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Washington, DC) and finally teaching history at the Naval Academy.
I enjoyed the detail provided in the book on the author's time spent at Oxford (very interesting), his travels around the world while at Oxford, his endeavors to be a scholar-soldier. The pages on Afghanistan were engrossing especially since my son is also an Army officer.
I really felt in many ways that this book was a way for Mullaney to write down his adventures - more of an expanded version of the daily journal he keeps - both so the memories wouldn't be lost but also so that by setting them to paper maybe he could get some insight into some very hurtful time periods in his life and either come to understand them better, lessen their negative impact on his life, or exorcise old demons. I didn't agree with the way he handled some of his personal issues but I am quite sure he would feel the same way if he was able to dissect my life, and I think he is brave to put his life out there for all of us to see. How many of us would be as candid?
He idolized his father and his father hurt him terribly by leaving the family. At least at the time this book was written, he had still not forgiven his father. Hand in hand, he had not forgiven himself (even though it was not his fault) for the loss of a soldier during battle in Afghanistan. He was not able to correspond with the fallen soldier's father, even though the father contacted him. In some ways this young man was very mature, also bright and engaging. But it comes across strongly in the book how rigid in some of his thinking he is, how he expects himself to be perfect and by the same token, others around him. Hopefully he is learning that no one is perfect. We all have our imperfections-it is part of being human.
I would like to read another later autobiography by this young man and see what life lessons he has learned, read more about his marriage and his doctor wife's career, about why he left the service (or why he thinks he did), about his family including more on his brother's Army adventures, about his time working with Obama, etc. As I wrote earlier, he is a very talented writer.
The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education Overview
"One of the most thoughtful and honest accounts ever written by a young Army officer confronting all the tests of life." -Bob Woodward
In this surprise bestseller, West Point grad, Rhodes scholar, Airborne Ranger, and U. S. Army Captain Craig Mullaney recounts his unparalleled education and the hard lessons that only war can teach. While stationed in Afghanistan, a deadly firefight with al-Qaeda leads to the loss of one of his soldiers. Years later, after that excruciating experience, he returns to the United States to teach future officers at the Naval Academy. Written with unflinching honesty, this is an unforgettable portrait of a young soldier grappling with the weight of war while coming to terms with what it means to be a man.
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