McChrysal: Reality of Sailor Harriet Tubman

Review by Bill Doughty

A standout essay in General Stanley McChrystal's latest book, "Leaders: Myth and Reality" (Portfolio/Penguin, 2018) begins on a Union Navy vessel in the littorals of the Deep South during the heart of the Civil War.

"As she boarded the USS John Adams that evening, the white officers tipped their caps to the black woman they knew as 'Moses.' Apart from this polite gesture, she was paid no special attention. The 300 troops had business to take care of, and Harriet Tubman was a part of that team, with duties of her own."

Colonel James Montgomery, who commanded the 2nd South Carolina Volunteer Regiment, relied on Tubman – who had been serving as a nurse and spy for the Union Army – to guide him, his officers and 300 mostly black troops twenty-five miles up the Combahee River. They left from Beaufort, South Carolina to destroy Confederate communication and supplies and free slaves if possible.

USS John Adams depicted (in 1846)

"When the boats set off upriver, Tubman, as head scout, assumed her place next to Colonel Montgomery. It's an incongruous scene: a five-foot-tall, forty-one-year-old black woman going on a raid to free slaves in the middle of the Civil War. Heading to a battle, the officers and soldiers of the 2nd South Carolina didn't show concern with the symbolism of a middle-aged, formerly enslaved woman wearing a dress amid all the men in blue uniforms. All they cared about was her competence as a scout."

In terse prose that attempts to separate fact from myth, McChrystal and his co-authors Jeff Eggers and Jason Mangone show the difficulties Tubman faced as a slave before she escaped to become a matriarch and leader of the abolitionist movement.

She suffered separations, beatings and brain damage that left her with stupors, seizures and religious visions.

"According to a journalist who wrote about Tubman in 1863, her head injury made her 'subject to a sort of stupor or lethargy at times; coming upon her in the midst of conversation, or whatever she may be doing, and throwing her into a deep slumber, from which she will presently rouse herself, and go on with her conversation or work.' Though Tubman and her family were deeply religious well before her head injury, her skull fracture marks the time when Tubman began having religious visions, which would stay with her for the remaining eighty years of her life and contributed to what she felt was her calling."

Despite her challenges, Tubman made 13 trips into the Deep South during the 1850s as part of the Underground Railroad, a support network of black and white ministers, freethinkers and others opposed to the sin of slavery. Each trip was 450 miles both ways, and the slaves had to travel to Canada or risk being caught and returned.

Tubman is recognized for her leadership qualities of "modesty, duty, perfect truthfulness and integrity." She built relationships and valued cooperation, but she could also be fearless and demanding.

Congressman John Lewis

McChrystal's dedication of this book is: "To John Lewis and John McCain, who remind us that it's possible to keep our humanity while leading with courage and commitment."

The eclectic leaders profiled by the authors include geniuses like Albert Einstein, zealots like Maximilien Robespierre, and reformers like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among others.

McChrystal and his co-authors offer no clear and simple formulas on being a leader. "It is our hope that by helping to dismantle some common myths we will create space for you and other leaders to interact with reality and respond to your challenges with clear thinking and humility."

In the book's prologue, McChrystal writes, "Finally, by itself, 'Leaders' will not make you into a great leader. It won't overcome weak values, a lack of self-discipline, or personal stupidity. Instead of simplifying the challenges of leading, 'Leaders' will outline and underscore the complexities."

McChrystal and his team offer no paint-by-numbers formulas for being a good leader. They recommend dismantling common myths in order to "interact with reality and respond to your challenges with clear thinking and humility."

Frederick Douglass

To highlight the Tubman essay, McChrystal and his co-authors choose a quote from former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Part of Douglass's quote becomes a "found" haiku:

what you have done would

seem improbable to those

who do not know you

In the book's prologue, McChrystal concludes, "Finally, by itself, 'Leaders' will not make you into a great leader. It won't overcome weak values, a lack of self-discipline, or personal stupidity. Instead of simplifying the challenge of leading, 'Leaders' will outline and underscore the complexities."

Union Sailor George Commodore, 

"Leaders" recommends reading Joseph Campbell, Churchill, Plutarch and tales of Greek and Roman heroes. In fact, the book starts with McChrystal's love of reading.  For the Tubman essay, he recommends Kate Clifford Larson's "Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero" (One World, 2003).

The best leaders are good readers.

Postscript: Interest in this topic and how African Americans served in the Navy in the Civil War led me to this essay by Joseph P. Reidy in Prologue Magazine, online at the National Archives: "Black Men in Navy Blue During the Civil War." 

John S. McCain Controversy, Legacy

Review by Bill Doughty

Midshipman John S. McCain, 1906

He earned demerits but the respect of his peers at the Naval Academy. He was a risk-taker, known for making controversial decisions and for his courage under fire. And, he knew how to work closely with Congress in support of the military.

In William F. Trimble's new biography, "Admiral John S. McCain: And the Triumph of Naval Air Power" (Naval Institute Press, 2019), we get a fascinating history of the rise of carrier-based aviation during World War II through the life of the McCain patriarch, warts and all.

Among the blemishes, "Slew" McCain's "inexplicable and inexcusable administrative and judgmental oversight" and lack of attention to detail and communication" in the aftermath of the Battle of Savo Island, according to Trimble.

Also, McCain – but more-so Halsey – was tarnished by his apparent indecision in the face of Typhoon Cobra. "Survival was the priority for many that afternoon as the wind and waves hammered the fleet, and radios crackled with one emergency call after another," Trimble writes. "McCain blundered badly."

Nevertheless, McCain's triumphs as a warfighter and innovator make his failures small by comparison.

He was considered "an airman's admiral," Trimble says. "In his typical manner, McCain boosted morale by talking to as many airmen and ground crews as he could, assuring them that he would do all he could to back them up..." He was loved by officers and enlisted Marines who admired his fighting spirit.

As Commander, Aircraft, South Pacific (ComAirSoPac) Forces, McCain was recognized for his "innovative thinking, initiative, resourcefulness and commitment, all of which are vital to operational command."

McCain practiced balanced and empowering leadership, surrounding himself with good people – never "yes-men" – and delegating responsibility to them. Key among his team was Jimmie Thach, hero of the Battle of Midway and naval aviation strategist in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Ed Valigursky's depiction of the Battle of Philippine Sea, 20 June 1944. (Courtesy of "Popular Mechanics" Magazine, NHHC)

Trimble offers this controversial assessment comparing those big battles of WWII:

"One cannot overstate the significance of the Battle of the Philippine Sea. It was a decisive victory, the great fleet engagement in the western Pacific that both adversaries had planned to fight for almost fifty years. This battle, and not Midway two years before, was the pivotal battle of the Pacific War. Neither McCain nor anyone else at the time knew that they had been part of the greatest carrier battle of all time and that there would never be another encounter of this type or scale. Nor were they aware that Japan's carriers had been effectively eliminated as a fighting force."

A third huge air battle came as U.S. forces moved north from the Philippines. Trimble writes: "A savage spectacle of naval air power, the ferocious engagement over Okinawa and Formosa was comparable to the climactic moments of the Battle of Britain and the epic Battle of the Philippine Sea."

Halsey and McCain share a lighter moment and respite in 1944.

While Halsey's decisions in the battles of Leyte and off Formosa were called into question by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Ernest J. King, "McCain, on the other hand, received nothing but praise for his actions." 

McCain's task group, TG-38.1, was a major factor in virtually wiping out Japanese air power on Formosa and Luzon before the landings at Leyte." He received praise from Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Chester Nimitz, even as Nimitz became concerned with the physical and mental health of his senior leaders under the stress of war.

In the western Pacific, McCain and Thach developed successful strategies to counter the effects of devastating kamikaze attacks by Imperial Japan during the closing months of the war. McCain was recognized for his aggressive willingness to take risks and "brilliant tactical control of fast carrier forces."

Understandably, most of this meticulously researched book (60 pages of notes and bibliography) focuses on McCain's role during the war in key leadership positions, including as part of Halsey's 3rd Fleet as Task Force 38 commander. "McCain's Task Force 38 was the principal offensive component of Adm. W. F. Halsey's mighty Third Fleet."

Three generations of John S. McCain

But we get some important insights into the development of naval aviation culture, including the hurdles McCain had to overcome as a "Johnny Come Lately," as an older flag officer who had been a latecomer to the aviation community. McCain helped bring about a new age of warfare, in which "the airplane, naval aviation, and more specifically the aircraft carrier transformed from a tactical into a strategic weapon."

This book presents several other controversies as well as surprises, such as McCain's advocacy for recruiting women in support roles, his embrace of joint operations, his enthusiastic support for Navy public affairs, and his relationship with Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, Adm. Lockwood and other colleagues.


As Navy readers know, McCain died just days after Imperial Japan's surrender. Trimble describes the end with poignancy but barely mentions the patriarch's personal legacy as father of another Navy admiral and grandfather of a heroic POW and U.S. senator.

Adm. John S. "Slew" McCain is remembered as "a fighting admiral and a man who in the end made the ultimate sacrifice for his Navy and his country."

Headstone of U.S. Navy Adm. John Sidney “Slew” McCain Sr. in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, August 30, 2018. Born August 9, 1884, McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1906. He served as the engineering officer on San Diego (ACR-6) during World War I until May 1918. He went on to command Aircraft, South Pacific and South Pacific Force, during the 1942 Solomon Islands Campaign. Later, he commanded TF-38 during the drive into the Philippines, the capture of Okinawa, and the surrender of Japan. For this command, he received the Navy Cross. McCain died September 6, 1945 as a vice admiral but was posthumously promoted to admiral the same year by a joint resolution of Congress. He is buried in Section 3 in grave 4356, the same section as his son, U.S. Navy Adm. John Sidney “Jack” McCain Jr., who is in grave 4001-A. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)

Maritime Strategy vs. The Wall

Review by Bill Doughty

Former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman writes a version of history in "Oceans Ventured: Winning the Cold War at Sea" (W. W. Norton, 2018) in which the United States Navy was key in bringing down the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall. 

Admirals Stephen B. Luce and Alfred Thayer Mahan

How did the Navy take on the Soviet Union, and what are the lessons of history for us today in facing 21st century threats?

Starting with the earliest naval history and foundational strategies of Admirals Luce and Mahan, Lehman builds the case for the importance of a forward-deployed, well-resourced, and innovative Navy committed to global exercises with partners and allies. 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy earlier in the 20th century, had a deep devotion to the sea service. Under FDR, the Navy was indispensable in winning WWII, especially in the Pacific.

"The U.S. Navy ended World War II with more than seven thousand ships, including ninety-nine aircraft carriers," Lehman writes. "Many politicians demanded that the navy mothball, scrap, or otherwise dispose of this massive and expensive fleet." In fact, they debated the need for a blue-water fleet.

Missouri steams to Turkey as U.S. support against Soviet territorial claims.

The Cold War began almost immediately after the Second World War as the Russia-led Soviet Union began expanding into other nations' territories, desiring supremacy, hegemony and empire.

Truman, a former soldier, showed his preference for the Army. Nevertheless, when it came to flex power and show support to NATO in the face of Soviet aggression, Truman sent "big stick" USS Missouri (BB-63) to Europe. The Korean War was further evidence to the nation of the need for a forward deployed, trained and ready navy.

Lehman shows how LBJ used the Gulf of Tonkin incident, involving Navy ships, as an excuse – "despite skepticism of Navy leaders" – to ignite the Vietnam War. 

USS Halibut (SSN-587) underway in the Pacific Ocean.

Cruisers, destroyers, aircraft carriers and submarines played different but critical roles in countering the Soviet navy. Lehman reveals formerly classified reports and information, including Operation Azorian and recovery of part of Soviet nuclear submarine, K-129, and operation at the heart of John Piña Craven's "The Silent War: The Cold War Battle Beneath the Sea."

Although the fleet shrunk under President Richard Nixon, the late 60s and early 70s saw the rise of great strategic thinkers and leaders in the Navy, including Admirals Zumwalt and Holloway.

"In September 1970, the new chief of naval operations, Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, launched a detailed, comprehensive, and coherent blueprint for initiatives the navy needed to take to regain momentum and prevent the Russians from gaining naval supremacy. The project was called Project SIXTY. It included many new programs that were essential to prevail against the new cruise missile, submarine, torpedo, Backfire bomber, and missile threats that the Soviets were beginning to deploy in large numbers in their growing blue-water fleet. It included new ship and aircraft systems needed to operate in Arctic waters as well as shallow tropical seas. It provided for planning and training to operate in those unfamiliar and difficult environments. Zumwalt's successor, Adm. James A. Holloway, revised and adjusted some of the priorities, and because of his skills in dealing with Congress, he was able to get funding for the development of most (but not all) of the initiatives, which were then eventually successfully funded and deployed by the navy during the Reagan administration."

Adm. Thomas B. Hayward, who served as Pacific Fleet Commander and CNO, was "a major player in the development of a forward naval strategy."

President Jimmy Carter, a Naval Academy graduate, surprised many Navy veterans by reducing the size of the fleet and "turning the other cheek" instead of confronting the Soviets.

"In the name of détente and cutting the budget, Carter had prepared to give away some of the crown jewels of Mahanian naval superiority," Lehman writes.

On the cusp of President Ronald Reagan coming into power and Lehman becoming Secretary of the Navy, the Soviet navy showed its reach in the Arctic, the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan, and Soviet-backed Iraq invaded Iran.

President Reagan increased the defense budget, called for a new strategic bomber, reactivated battleships, ordered the building of four new nuclear aircraft carriers, and revised the rules of engagement. "And he sent the U.S. Navy forward."

A rejuvenated U.S. Navy showed its skills in the Norwegian Sea and in the Ocean Venture 81 exercise, involving 15 nations and 250 ships.

Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

Lehman describes how Hollywood's Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson approached Holloway and Lehman with the proposal to produce "Top Gun," which Lehman thought garnered public support for the U.S. Navy in general and naval aviation in particular.  

In a similar venture, Lehman green-lighted Dr. Robert Ballard, in coordination with National Geographic, to use Navy technology to search for and find the Titanic in the North Atlantic. Lehman subsequently declared Ballard "Bottom Gun."

Navy's modernization efforts and maritime strategy were "gaining global velocity" in the early to mid 80s as USS Ticonderoga, the first Aegis cruiser came on line. In 1984, Lehman led a delegation to Beijing to arrange a deal to modernize the Chinese navy "to deal with the Soviet threat."

Readers of "Oceans Ventured" may wish to see more discussion of Lehman's initiative with China as well as the importance of collaboration and cooperation with other nations' navies, although there are several mentions of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (incorrectly called the "Japanese" Maritime Self-Defense Force).

On March 13, 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary of the Soviet Union. 

"Faced with political economic stagnation, [Gorbachev] advocated and began to implement policy reforms based on perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness). Glasnost meant giving publicity to problems, issues, and proposed solutions to generate support for perestroika, which meant restructuring the government bureaucracy and rebuilding the economy and industry."In his first dramatic foreign policy move, he suspended deployment of Soviet SS-20 intermediate-range nuclear ballistic missiles in Warsaw Pact states. He then began to cut back on resources to the Soviet Armed Forces, including the navy."

On the 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, Gorbachev announced a moratorium on nuclear testing. Lehman gives details of how the "diplomatic thaw in U.S.-Soviet relations accelerated."

Adm. James A. Lyons, Jr.

"President Reagan was keenly interested in nuclear arms control and the reduction of the superpowers' bloated nuclear arsenals. He and Gorbachev slowly formed a partnership over the next three years or so to reduce the amount of nuclear weaponry on both sides. He was far less keen than Gorbachev, however, to constrain the U.S. Navy, which he regarded as an essential and unique pillar of U.S. military strength."

Adm. James "Ace" Lyons, who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the mid-80s, "launched into planning a furious succession of exercises, often unprecedented or deviating from their predecessors, especially in their predictability." Lehman notes," Pacific Fleet exercises had already become more aggressive, more forward, more innovative, and less predictable."

On May 6, 1986, three U.S. nuclear-powered submarines, Ray, Hawkbill and Archerfish, surfaced simultaneously at the North Pole, demonstrating the Navy's power and capabilities. Navy surface ships continued successful FONOPS asserting freedom of navigation in Avancha Bay, the Black Sea and near the Kuril Islands.



Was the U.S. Navy solely responsible for turning the tide in the Cold War? Apparently not. Other events put pressure on the Soviet economy.

Chernobyl disaster

In 1986, the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl melted down, creating "an unprecedented international crisis." Then, oil prices dropped, hitting Russia and its satellites and forcing Gorbachev to look inward. His military doctrine became less offensive and more defensive.

"For over three years, U.S. and Soviet diplomats had been negotiating to reduce or eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe. Finally in Washington in December 1987, at their third meeting, President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev signed the historic Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, agreeing to eliminate completely all their nuclear and conventional ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. This was a major milestone in the warming relations between the two superpowers."

The fall of the Soviet bloc in 1989-1991 accelerated hopes for peace. President George H.W. Bush ordered the withdrawal of tactical nuclear-armed Tomahawk missiles from U.S. Navy ships.

Gorbachev and Reagan sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) treaty in December 1988, committing to a safer world.

The wall came down, and "the once-powerful Soviet navy faced being split apart." United States maritime strategy, "supported by a bipartisan Congress," proved to be the West's advantage in the geopolitical balance of power, according to Lehman.

In "Oceans Ventured's" epilogue, Lehman warns of a new potential axis of China/Russia/Iran, "eerily similar" to Germany/Italy/Japan more than 75 years ago.

U.S. President Trump and Russia President Putin meet in Helsinki, Finland in July 2018

He says Russian President Vladimir Putin has revanchist goals and "seems to suffer from delusions of grandeur," noting, "Putin has become the master of 'hybrid warfare,' using cyber attacks, disinformation, 'fake news,' election meddling, paramilitary 'little green men,' intimidation, and occasionally assassination against adversaries."

Lehman adds, "China presents a different kind of problem. Its leaders do not hide their intention to establish command of the western Pacific, and they are progression rapidly toward achieving that regional goal." He contends that China continues to use North Korea as a foil to distract and "dominate world attention."

What is the history yet to be written for the U.S. Navy? "The lesson of this book is that we must restore the capability of our naval forces and sailors not because we might have to go to war with North Korea, Russia, Iran, or some other adversary but because we must prevent having to go to war at all," Lehman concludes.

Stone Cold Killer: 'One of Us'

Review by Bill Doughty

Former Marine, Army National Guardsman and now Coast Guardsman Hasson w/ weapons cache.

Captured U.S. Coast Guardsman Lt. Christopher Hasson said he was inspired to plan mass murder and mayhem after reading the manifesto of Anders Breivik. Hasson was arrested last month for allegedly plotting mass murder as well as targeted killings of elected officials and members of the U.S. media who had done critical reporting about President Trump.

Hasson is one of the most recent terrorists or would-be terrorists to be inspired by Breivik, a self-declared Norwegian white nationalist who killed or injured hundreds of men, women and especially children nearly eight years ago in the bombing of a government building and shootings at a youth camp on Utoya Island.

Breivik also apparently influenced Newtown shooter Adam Lanza before Lanza shot and killed twenty children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We see similarities in the terrorist actions and/or plans of Dylann Roof in Charleston, South Carolina; Robert Bowers in Pittsburgh; and Nikolas Cruz in Parkland, Florida, with some direct ties to white supremacism and anti-semitism.

Who was Breivik, why did he shoot dozens of helpless young people, and how could people choose to follow in his footsteps.

Breivik's life, behavior and crime are thoroughly documented in "One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway" by Asne Seierstad (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013).

This is a true crime account of an evil act by an author who is experienced reporting from war zones, especially Iraq and Afghanistan. 

It's nearly inconceivable how Breivik could influence others, especially a career U.S. Coast Guard officer. Reading it may help show how this kind of violent philosophy and hate-filled mindset can take root.

Seierstad's book also presents a history of cultural change in Norway beginning in the 1970s, including the impact and consequences of immigration, rise of women's equality and backlash by right-wing extremists. We get deeply affecting portrayals of the lives of some of the victims and their families.

"I offer heartfelt thanks to those who shared the most," Seierstad writes. "Bayan, Ali, Mustafa and Lara Rashid. Gerd, Viggo and Stian Kristiansen. Tone, Gunnar and Havard Saebo. And Viljar Hanssen and his family. They have told me about the worst thing of all: losing someone they loved."

Remembering the victims of Utoya shooting.

At the center of the story, of course, is the killer Breivik. We learn of his bullying, ostracism, cruelty to animals, lack of parental discipline and the effects of being virtually abandoned and then disowned by his father.

Seierstad documents Anders Breivik's "career" as a graffiti tagger (under the moniker of Marvel Comics's executioner, the Morg). She reveals details about his quasi-legal and failed business providing fake diplomas, his debt to financial institutions and tax evasion, and his obsession with violent video games such as "World of Warcraft."

Anders Behring Breivik, in uniforms, from his manifesto.

In WoW, he was "awarded the title of Justitiarius. It was a title that took a long time and a lot of killing to achieve." In the real world he became obsessed with guns, uniforms and how he was perceived by others.

He was inducted into the Freemasons, and he considered himself a Christian "crusader" against Muslims and Marxists. He believed Christianity should be taught in school.

Breivik he saw the news media as enemies of the people. In Breivik's words, "The media dehumanizes the conservatives. They've been doing that ever since the Second World War: continuous abuse of the cultural conservatives," Breivik said.

From his addiction to violent video games, he fell into the world of "white pride, world wide" supremacy and right-wing extremism. He was anti-political-correctness, anti-feminism, anti-immigration and anti-socialism. For Breivik, it was "us against them."

Breivik said he was inspired by Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, who deployed a fertilizer bomb to kill 168 men, women and children in 1995.

Petty Officer Timothy McVeigh?

According to "American Terrorist," Timothy McVeigh, who served in the U.S. Army, nearly joined the Navy to become "one of us." He impressed recruiters, as reported in "American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & the Oklahoma CIty Bombing" by Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck (HarperCollins, 2001):  

"In May 1988, McVeigh decided to join the military ... On the math exam in business school, he missed only one question on the military vocational aptitude test that recruiters use to screen walk-in candidates. Recruiters from the Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army all showed interest in him. With that kind of test score, the Navy man told him, he could become a nuclear-propulsion specialist, working on a nuclear submarine or a carrier. That offer interested him, but McVeigh chose the Army."

McVeigh

Coast Guardsman Hasson previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and on active duty in the Army National Guard.

So, is there a legitimate concern that members of the military, including veterans like McVeigh and Hasson, are prone to kill civilians and conduct mass murder because of their military training? Are we right to be concerned there are other many white nationalists or "crusaders" in uniform committed to bringing about civil war or armageddon?

Not according to Lt. Col. Grossman, author of "Assassination Generation: Video Games, Aggression, and the Psychology of Killing" (Hachette Book Group; Little, Brown and Company, 2016). Grossman, a former West Point psychology professor, references the Norway killings and speaks directly about Army veteran Timothy McVeigh's military experience and its relevance to his heinous crime:

Grossman says, "The retiring veteran is less likely to use his skills inappropriately than a member of the same age and sex."

"Bureau of Justice Statistics' data demonstrating that our returning veterans from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War were less likely to be incarcerated than nonveterans ... The same is true of our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These soldiers put the leadership, logistics and maintenance skills they learned in the military to good use in the civilian world, and they give up their deadlier skills as soon as they return home."

According to Grossman, "The finest killers who ever walked the face of this earth were the soldiers who came home from these major wars, and yet they were less likely to use those skills than nonveterans. The reason is clear: combined with learning to kill, they acquired a warrior discipline – and that is the safeguard in a soldier's life."

Breivik taunts with his white power salute.

Breivik never served in Norway's military. He obtained an exemption.

Modern history shows: Those who are quick to send men and women to war have never been there, while combat veterans cooperate to defend peace.

It's worth studying how Coast Guardsman Hasson could apparently lose his core values and turn from protector of peace to projector of hate and violence.

Asne Seierstad, shows us how a person without honor can become enthralled with a belief system that dehumanizes others and promotes killing.

"One of Us" starts at a pace exceeding the speed limit and barely slows down. We get the heartbreaking perspective of the victims. The violence is told in excruciating forensic detail.

"For me," Seierstad writes, "it was important to describe for posterity exactly how that day was."

Deliver Us from Evil

In "One of Us" there is room for beautiful prose, too, as Seierstad paints a scene at the remote farm in Osterdalen where Breivik processed ingredients for his fertilizer bomb and prepared weapons for the attack in the summer of 2011.

"Below the farm, the cold waters of the Glomma rushed onward. The river had a powerful force to it, swollen by the meltwater it was carrying down from the mountains. Wherever you were on the farm, you could hear it roar. When he took over the place at the start of May there were still a few chunks of ice sailing by, having broken off from the ice fields north of Glombrua. The spring flood usually lasted far into June. It would be July before the river calmed. Then it grew idle and drowsy, scarcely bothering to flow at all in the summer heat.But it was still a long time until July."

Gloma River, Norway

Also, in the midst of the horror of Breivik's killing we get this unexpected and beautiful "found" haiku – a verse from an unnamed bedtime story. The words came to a young victim as she was about to be shot by Breivik.

Our dear little moon

shines down on those who have no

bed and have no home

Stoltenberg

Another unintended haiku is from Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who called for more democracy, freedom and national unity in the aftermath of unrepentant Breivik's attack:

Evil can kill a

human being but never

conquer a people

On many levels, "One of Us" reveals the power of books and words.

Lessons Considered

Some of the themes explored in this book: the effects of World War II on Europe and Asia; the impact of al-Qaida, both to immigrants and nationalists; the cost of family separations to the psyche of children; the impact of the media; and the connection between extreme violence in video games and real life. We read and wonder how Breivik's strange and suspicious behavior leading up to July 22, 2011 wasn't reported to authorities.

Journalist/writer Seierstad

Seierstad shows the failures by officials in the minutes and hours after Breivik's attacks began – errors in communicating, responding and conducting command-and-control in an emergency. In part, the poor response contributed to the huge number of casualties that day: 77 killed and at least 209 wounded.

Breivik believed white Europeans were victims, threatened by socialist/Marxist immigrants. He comes across as a narcissist who confounded psychiatrists and psychologists at his trial, where "flattery was the style he adopted," according to Seierstad.

Stone-cold killer Breivik, who referred to himself as "Commander of the Norwegian anti-Communist Resistance Movement," demanded martyrdom in the hope he would inspire others.