Honorable Warrior: General Harold K. Johnson and the Ethics of Command

by Lewis Sorley

Overview

A man of extraordinary inner strength and patriotic devotion, General Harold K. Johnson was a soldier's officer, loved by his men and admired by his peers for his leadership, courage, and moral convictions. Lewis Sorley's biography provides a fitting testament to this remarkable man and his dramatic rise from obscurity to become LBJ's Army Chief of Staff during the Vietnam War.

A native of North Dakota, Johnson survived more than three grueling years as a POW under the Japanese during World War II before serving brilliantly as a field commander in the Korean War, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism." The latter experiences led to a series of high-level positions that culminated in his appointment as Army chief in 1964 and a cover story in Time magazine.

What followed should have been the most rewarding period of Johnson's military career. Instead, it proved to be a nightmare, as he quickly became mired in the politics and ordeal of a very misguided war.

Johnson fundamentally disagreed with the three men—LBJ, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and General William Westmoreland—running our war in Vietnam. He was sharply critical of LBJ's piecemeal policy of gradual escalation and his failure to mobilize the national will or call up the reserves. He was equally despondent over Westmoreland's now infamous search-and-destroy tactics and reliance on body counts to measure success in Vietnam.

By contrast, he advocated greater emphasis on cutting the North's supply lines, helping the South Vietnamese provide for their own internal defenses, and sustaining a truly legitimate government in the South. Unheeded, he nevertheless continued to work behind the scenes to correct the nation's flawed approach to the war.

Sorley's study adds immeasurably to our understanding of the Vietnam War. It also provides an inspiring account of principled leadership at a time when the American military is seeking to recover the very kinds of moral values exemplified by Harold K. Johnson. As such, it presents a profound morality tale for our own era.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700609529
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	04/30/1998
Series:	Modern War Studies
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	374
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Prologue

1. Early Life

2. Cadet Days

3. Depression Army

4. Philippine Scouts

5. Japanese Invasion

6. Death March

7. Cabanatuan

8. Hell Ships

9. Adrift

10. Korea

11. Moving Up

12. Fort Leavenworth

13. DCSOPS

14. Vietnam Trip

15. Aviation

16. Chief of Staff

17. March 1965

18. July 1965

19. PROVN

20. Troubles

21. Slogging

22. Airpower

23. Explosions

24. Compline

Epilogue

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index

Editorial Reviews

Sorley (Thunderbolt: General Creighton Abrams and the Army of His Times, Brassey's, 1988), who served in Vietnam as a commander of a tank battalion, follows Gen. Harold Johnson's career from the North Dakota plains to his service in World War II and the Korean War. Johnson distinguished himself during the war on the infamous Bataan death march and spent three years in a Japanese prison camp. His later experience in Korea made him well qualified to be army chief of staff in 1964. Unfortunately, Johnson disagreed with the administration's conduct of the Vietnam War almost from the beginning, advocating the use of long-range patrols and security for rear areas instead of General Westmoreland's "search and destroy" tactics and use of body counts to gauge success. Johnson's greatest ethical challenge came in supporting the war but working behind the scenes to avert disaster. Raising some ethical questions that only the reader will be able to answer, this well-researched and interesting book should appeal to subject specialists and all interested readers.Mark E. Ellis, Albany State Univ., GA

Library Journal

A biography of a remarkable officer who rose from obscurity to become one of LBJ's Army Chiefs of Staff during the Vietnam War. Johnson survived almost four years as a POW under the Japanese during WWII before serving as a field commander in the Korean War. After his appointment as Army Chief in 1964 he became mired in the politics of the Vietnam War and worked behind the scenes to correct the flawed approach of the US to the war. Includes b&w photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

"Must reading for those who knew Johnson—and for scholars and history buffs who specialize in military leadership."—Infantry

"Sorley has made a significant contribution to our understanding of American policy and strategy in the Vietnam War and American civil-military relations. It is an important book."—Journal of Military History

"Sorley has done a magnificent job of detailing the life of a remarkable American and soldier."—Armor

"Offers welcome analytical insight into the character of an officer who, as Army chief of Staff and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, numbers among the top Vietnam-era service leaders who have been harshly criticized."—Parameters

"To fully understand Harold Johnson’s role and fault in determining US military policy toward the Vietnam War, Sorley’s book should be read along with analyses of the Joint Chiefs’ interactions and critical reviews of McNamara’s role as secretary of defense."—Military Review

"This superb work about a less-publicized leader is a useful addition to the study of military history and Vietnam."—Journal of American History

"This superb book not only covers the life of a very special military officer, but also focuses on what current military officers should be studying. Don’t miss the wisdom of this book."—Marine Corps Gazette

"Sorley reveals Harold Johnson the man, not just the general."—Army History

"This splendid and fascinating biography traces the career of an outstanding soldier who had the terrible luck to make it to the top of his profession just as LBJ took over micro-management of the conflict in Vietnam. Recommended without reservation (and I'd like to see it made required reading for all future generals, who will find much to contemplate)."—Stephen E. Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage and Citizen Soldiers

"A significant contribution to our understanding of the Vietnam War and a timely commentary on military leadership, especially its moral dimensions. Harold Johnson very much exemplified the kind of moral leadership that all of the military services are trying to recapture today."—Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr., author of On Strategy and editor of Vietnam magazine

"A magnificent biography and compelling portrait of a courageous, devoted man. Full of enlightening new details concerning America’s strategic approach to Vietnam, Honorable Warrior provides unique insight into the nature of civil-military relations at the highest level of American government."—H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

"A brilliant work of heart and art about a bona fide American hero. I have never read a biography—including Douglas Southall Freeman’s Robert E. Lee—that moved me so much."—General Bruce Palmer, Jr., author of The Twenty-Five Year War: America’s Military Role in Vietnam

"A superb book that deserves a wide readership."—Lieutenant General Dave R. Palmer, author of Summons of the Trumpet

From the Publisher