Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War
by Robert M. Gates
Reviewed by: Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP®
In the politically bifurcated world that has become the United States, it is rare to find an individual who can work effectively in two consecutive diametrically opposite Presidential administrations. This fact alone makes Robert Gates’s book worthy of reading.
Gates treads lightly when comparing the two administrations. He prefaces the book, and most of his comments wherein he differed with either Bush or Obama, with acknowledgment that in both circumstances they were the men from whom Gates took his orders. His moving portrayals of the actions of our men & women in uniform coupled with his personal devotion to them and their families, stands in stark contrast to his immediate predecessor.
I don’t like reading “tell it all” memoirs of people recently retired from public office, especially those who could conceivably return to positions of authority. I made an exception in this case, and I’m glad I did.
Narrated by George Newbern
Review by Ralph Bender, MBA, CFP®
TRACKING #1-295730