Team America: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the World They Forged

From national bestselling author and acclaimed military historian Robert L. OConnell, a dynamic history of four military leaders whose extraordinary leadership and strategy led the United States to success during World War I and beyond.

By the first half of the twentieth century, technology had transformed warfare into a series of intense bloodbaths in which the line between soldiers and civilians was obliterated, resulting in the deaths of one hundred million people. During this period, four men exhibited unparalleled military leadership that led the United States victoriously through two World Wars: Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, George Marshall, and Dwight Ike Eisenhower; or, as bestselling author Robert OConnell calls them, Team America.

OConnell captures these mens unique charisma as he chronicles the path each forgedfrom their upbringings to their educational experiences to their storied military careersexperiences that shaped them into majestic leaders who would play major roles in saving the free world and preserving the security of the United States in times of unparalleled danger. OConnell shows how the lives of these menall born within the span of a decadetwisted around each other like a giant braid in time. Throughout their careers, they would use each other brilliantly in a series of symbiotic relationships that would hold increasingly greater consequences.

At the end of their star-studded careers (twenty-four out of a possible twenty-five), OConnell concludes that what set Team America apart was not their ability to wield the proverbial sword, but rather their ability to plot strategy, give orders, and inspire others. The key ingredients to their success was mental agility, a gravitas that masked their intensity, and an almost intuitive understanding of how armies in the millions actually functioned and fought. Without the leadership of these men, OConnell makes clear, the world we know would be vastly different.