TCCDM Dig and Flip: Once An Eagle - Anton Myrer (1968)
Once An Eagle
by Anton Myrer
(1968)
Paperback, 1291 pages
NO SPOILERS:
Once An Eagle is a story that explores soldiering and the choices made in becoming a good soldier and leader. And rank, fair or not, means almost everything. And how the military can become an intoxicating lifestyle for some. Just as interesting are the effects on the family. Wives, in particular, must be skillful in weaving their way through the unwritten social rules within the military circle. That's an interesting trip in and of itself.
Amid all this flibbety-floo, the book introduces two main characters, each with their own approach to leading men. Each presented as the antithesis of the other. Neither is completely right nor wrong. However, our main protagonist, Sam Damon, is a leader we would all hope to follow as he rises through the ranks. Damon's military journey takes him through the course of three wars and to the cusp of another.
Author Anton Myrer has many extremely well-written scenes within these pages, both on the battlefields and at the strategic planning tables. On the training base, and away from it. Even casual social gatherings can be a bit of a minefield. And they sucked me right in. However, the negative rug-pull about this novel is that it's so much longer than it needs to be. A good editor could have sliced off a couple of hundred pages easily. And it's those unnecessary pages that drag the story down a bit. I mean, it's nearly 1300 pages after all. Anton Myrer, like Bob Seger, definitely struggles with "What to leave in, what to leave out." Whaddygonnado? So, as it stands, Once An Eagle is still a good read, apart from the aforementioned, and gives a fascinating glimpse into a military career path. For this tome, I give this free bird...a mild 4 outta 5 feathers.
"Day Of The Eagle" - Robin Trower (1974)
Good stuff.
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