Who recommended Once an Eagle?

4 people have recommended Once an Eagle in the interviews, articles and reading lists we track, including James Mattis, Greg Sankey and Stanley McChrystal. Each name links to their full reading list.

Is Once an Eagle worth reading?

4 people we track recommend it. It is best for: 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. It may not suit: 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.

What books are like Once an Eagle?

Readers of Once an Eagle also turn to Frightful First World War, Christmas in the Trenches and Developing the Leader Within You, based on the lists and recommenders these books share.

Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer: Recommended by 4 People

Name: Once an Eagle
Author: Anton Myrer

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...