A Medal of Honor recipient looks back at his own service in the Vietnam War—and ahead to America’s future.
Jack Jacobs was acting as an advisor to the South Vietnamese when he and his men came under devastating attack. Wounded, 1st Lt. Jacobs took command and withdrew the unit, returning again and again, saving fourteen lives—for which he received the Medal of Honor.
Here, Col. Jacobs tells his stirring story of heroism, honor, and the personal code by which he has lived his life, and expounds with blunt honesty and insight his views on our contemporary world, and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.
If Not Now, When? is a compelling account of a unique life at both war and peace, and the all-too-often unexamined role of the citizenry in the service and defense of the Republic.
Praise for If Not Now, When?
“Jack Jacobs is a living reminder that dynamite comes in small packages. From his days as a Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam to his success on Wall Street to his outspoken commentary on MSNBC and his wise counsel to West Point graduates, Jack is the complete citizen.”—Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation “As good a Vietnam War memoir as I’ve ever read. And if that’s not good enough, Jack Jacobs makes some very brutal, honest, and disturbing observations about America then and America now, and most importantly, about where we are headed. Jack Jacobs earned the Congressional Medal of Honor forty years ago, and he’s earned it every day since.”—Nelson DeMille
“[Jacobs] offers a mix of no-holds-barred personal history and pointed observations about the demands (or lack thereof) the U.S. makes on its citizens today. Never self-indulgent or preachy, Jacobs takes an honest—and often brutally funny—look back at his own life and forward to the future of the military and the nation.”—Parade
“This book is a classic. Jack Jacobs is the bravest—and funniest—soldier I met in thirty-two years of military service. He is also an intellectual with a writer’s gift of description. Jack tells a life story of military service with a sense of humor that makes palatable the brutality of intense combat.”—General Barry M. McCaffrey, U.S. Army (Retired)
Jack Jacobs retired from the Army as a full Colonel in 1987, after more than twenty years of service. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s most knowledgeable—and outspoken—military analysts. His career has bridged the disparate worlds of the military, business and academia. Jacobs serves on a number of charitable boards of directors and is the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. He holds the McDermott Chair of Humanities and Public Affairs at the US Military Academy and appears about 500 times annually on television, commenting on defense issues, terrorism, and international affairs.
View titles by Colonel Jack Jacobs
Douglas Century is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award–winner Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire. He has also written for the New York Times, Details, Rolling Stone, andthe Guardian (London). He lives in New York City.
View titles by Douglas Century
A Medal of Honor recipient looks back at his own service in the Vietnam War—and ahead to America’s future.
Jack Jacobs was acting as an advisor to the South Vietnamese when he and his men came under devastating attack. Wounded, 1st Lt. Jacobs took command and withdrew the unit, returning again and again, saving fourteen lives—for which he received the Medal of Honor.
Here, Col. Jacobs tells his stirring story of heroism, honor, and the personal code by which he has lived his life, and expounds with blunt honesty and insight his views on our contemporary world, and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.
If Not Now, When? is a compelling account of a unique life at both war and peace, and the all-too-often unexamined role of the citizenry in the service and defense of the Republic.
Reviews
Praise for If Not Now, When?
“Jack Jacobs is a living reminder that dynamite comes in small packages. From his days as a Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam to his success on Wall Street to his outspoken commentary on MSNBC and his wise counsel to West Point graduates, Jack is the complete citizen.”—Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation “As good a Vietnam War memoir as I’ve ever read. And if that’s not good enough, Jack Jacobs makes some very brutal, honest, and disturbing observations about America then and America now, and most importantly, about where we are headed. Jack Jacobs earned the Congressional Medal of Honor forty years ago, and he’s earned it every day since.”—Nelson DeMille
“[Jacobs] offers a mix of no-holds-barred personal history and pointed observations about the demands (or lack thereof) the U.S. makes on its citizens today. Never self-indulgent or preachy, Jacobs takes an honest—and often brutally funny—look back at his own life and forward to the future of the military and the nation.”—Parade
“This book is a classic. Jack Jacobs is the bravest—and funniest—soldier I met in thirty-two years of military service. He is also an intellectual with a writer’s gift of description. Jack tells a life story of military service with a sense of humor that makes palatable the brutality of intense combat.”—General Barry M. McCaffrey, U.S. Army (Retired)
Author
Jack Jacobs retired from the Army as a full Colonel in 1987, after more than twenty years of service. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s most knowledgeable—and outspoken—military analysts. His career has bridged the disparate worlds of the military, business and academia. Jacobs serves on a number of charitable boards of directors and is the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. He holds the McDermott Chair of Humanities and Public Affairs at the US Military Academy and appears about 500 times annually on television, commenting on defense issues, terrorism, and international affairs.
View titles by Colonel Jack Jacobs
Douglas Century is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award–winner Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire. He has also written for the New York Times, Details, Rolling Stone, andthe Guardian (London). He lives in New York City.
View titles by Douglas Century
