My Share of the Task: A Memoir Audiobook (Free)

“By no means shall I fail my comrades . . I will shoulder more than my talk about of the task, whatever it might be, completely and then some.” -from the Ranger Creed

In early March 2010, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding officer of most U.S. and coalition pushes in Afghanistan, strolled with Leader Hamid Karzai through a little rural bazaar. As Afghan townspeo­ple packed around them, a Taliban rocket loudly thudded in to the floor some distance away. Karzai appeared to McChrystal, about My Share of the Task: A Memoir who shrugged. The two leaders continued greeting the townspeople and listening to their views.

That trip was usual of McChrystal’s entire career, from his 1st day as a West Point plebe to his last day as a four-star general. The values he has come to be widely admired for were noticeable: a food cravings to know the facts on the floor, the courage to think it is, as well as the humility to hear those around him. Even as a older commander, McChrystal stationed him­personal forward, and frequently continued patrols along with his troops to see their problems firsthand.

Within this illuminating memoir, McChrystal frankly explores the major episodes and controversies of his eventful career. He delves candidly in to the intersection of history, management, and his very own experience to make a book of enduring value.

Joining the troubled post-Vietnam army as a young officer, McChrystal observed and participated in a few of our military’s most difficult struggles. He details the many exceptional leaders he offered with as well as the handful of poor leaders he discovered never to emulate. He paints a brilliant portrait of the traditional military establishment that converted itself, in one gen­eration, into the adaptive, resilient drive that would shortly be examined in Iraq, Afghanistan, as well as the wider War on Terror.

McChrystal spent much of his early career in the wonderful world of special operations, at the same time when these elite forces became increasingly effective-and required. He writes of a fight waged in the shadows with the Joint Special Operations Control (JSOC), which he led from 2003 to 2008. JSOC became one of our most reliable counterterrorism weaponry, facing off against Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Over time, JSOC gathered staggering amounts of intelligence and discover and remove the most influential and dangerous terrorists, like the head of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The search for Zarqawi drives a few of the most hold­ping scenes within this reserve, as McChrystal’s team grappled with challenging interrogations, advanced but scarce technology, weeks of unbroken security, and agonizing decisions.

McChrystal brought the same energy towards the war in Afghanistan, where the challenges loomed sometimes larger. His uncovering account attracts on his close interactions with Afghan leaders, giving readers a unique window into the war and the united states.

Ultimately, My Share of the duty is about much more than war and peace, terrorism and counterin­surgency. As McChrystal writes, “Even more by good fortune than style, I’d been a part of some occasions, organizations, and efforts that will loom large ever sold, and more that won’t. I noticed selfless commitment, petty politics, unspeakable cruelty, and calm courage in areas and amounts that I’d never have dreamed. But what I’ll remember most are the market leaders.”