Once an Eagle
by Anton Myrer
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“More from ONCE AN EAGLE by Anton Myrer…I purchased this book while visiting the @ArmyWarCollege “You can’t help what you were born and you may not have much to say about where you die, but you can and you should try to pass the days in between as a good man.””
Source →Recommended by 3 notable people, including James Mattis and Greg Sankey
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Anton Myrer lays out a career-spanning military saga that follows a straight-arrow professional and his rival as they move from combat to the corridors of power. Expect close, scene-level portraits of command, long stretches of institutional politicking, and repeated moral tests about duty versus self-interest. The useful part is a steady, granular look at leadership choices across decades; the limiting part is a slow middle where bureaucratic maneuvering becomes repetitive and the narrative favors moral contrast over psychological subtlety.
Read this if...
- •a mid-level military officer weighing promotion vs principle who wants narrative examples of how leadership decisions play out over a career — useful for reflecting on long-term trade-offs
- •a corporate manager inside a large bureaucracy trying to explain why character and politics both matter — useful as case material to spark debates about meritocracy and networking
- •a literature or history instructor prepping a seminar on 20th-century military culture who needs a long, novelistic case study of institutional dynamics to assign and discuss
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the narrative shifts from combat scenes to prolonged administrative politicking and repeated promotion maneuvering — the middle can feel plodding
- •annoying if you prefer quick plots, psychological interiority, or ambiguous moral complexity — the moral contrasts are often blunt rather than subtle
- •skip it if you want hands-on leadership exercises or practical takeaways — this is narrative and character study, not a how-to or workbook
Once An Eagle is the story of one special man, a soldier named Sam Damon, and his adversary over a lifetime, fellow officer Courtney Massengale. Damon is a professional who puts duty, honor, and the men he commands above self interest. Massengale, however, brilliantly advances by making the right connections behind the lines and in Washington's cor...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a mid-level military officer weighing promotion vs principle who wants narrative examples of how leadership decisions play out over a career — useful for reflecting on long-term trade-offs
- a corporate manager inside a large bureaucracy trying to explain why character and politics both matter — useful as case material to spark debates about meritocracy and networking
- a literature or history instructor prepping a seminar on 20th-century military culture who needs a long, novelistic case study of institutional dynamics to assign and discuss
- you'll likely put it down when the narrative shifts from combat scenes to prolonged administrative politicking and repeated promotion maneuvering — the middle can feel plodding
- annoying if you prefer quick plots, psychological interiority, or ambiguous moral complexity — the moral contrasts are often blunt rather than subtle
- skip it if you want hands-on leadership exercises or practical takeaways — this is narrative and character study, not a how-to or workbook
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in World War 1, Most Recommended Books, and Leadership.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Stanley McChrystal
“More from ONCE AN EAGLE by Anton Myrer…I purchased this book while visiting the @ArmyWarCollege “You can’t help what you were born and you may not have much to say about where you die, but you can and you should try to pass the days in between as a good man.””
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Frightful First World War by Terry Deary.
“Short, punchy chapters and grimly comic rhymes deliver snapshots from World War I aimed at younger readers; expect stark details about trenches, rules, superstitions and the home-front strain. What works best is accessibility: it turns complex, horrific material into memorable episodes that spark questions and conversation. The limitation is tonal tension — playful rhymes and bitingly blunt asides can undercut solemnity, and the book offers little in the way of deep analysis or context for older readers.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.