An orphan, Hackworth paid an older man to pose as his father to certify he was old enough to join the U.S. Army because he hoped for “sex and adventure.” He was only 15.
After enlisting he advanced quickly: he became the youngest Captain to serve in the Korean War, and then the youngest Colonel to serve in the Vietnam War. During his distinguished service he earned 91 medals (including two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars, 8 Bronze Stars and an astounding 8 Purple Hearts).
During his Vietnam tours he wrote a manual on how to fight back against guerilla warfare, and a General called him “the best battalion commander I ever saw in the United States Army.” But by 1971 Hackworth was convinced that the U.S. could not win the war in Vietnam and said so — publicly — and boldly spoke up against suggestions that the U.S. use nuclear weapons there. The Army moved to court-martial him, but he was allowed to resign instead, ending his 25-year career with an honorable discharge. But he didn’t go quietly: Hackworth went on to become an outspoken anti-nuclear activist, earning him another medal — the United Nations Medal for Peace.
After his military career, he wrote a column on military matters for Newsweek magazine and newspapers, wrote several books, and served as a TV commentator during the 1991 Gulf War, the conflict in the Balkans, and, in 2004, predicted that American troops could be stuck in Iraq for “at least” another 30 years. “Most combat vets pick their fights carefully. They look at their scars, remember the madness and are always mindful of the fallout,” he said in early 2005. “That’s not the case in Washington, where the White House and the Pentagon are run by civilians who have never sweated it out on a battlefield.” Col. “Hack” Hackworth, America’s most-decorated living veteran, died May 4 in Mexico from bladder cancer. He was 74.
(Hack’s personal web site at the Internet Archive)