A Sacred Oath audiobook

“Quitting would have made me feel good but I didn’t think it was the right thing to do for our country.” (M.Esper)Mark Esper is proud of the oaths he’s sworn over his life. From the first as a cadet to his last as Secretary of Defense, he takes them very seriously and you’ll find copies of them in his book, “A Sacred Oath”. The subtitle calls this book a “Memoirs of a Defense Secretary…” but the book reads more like an historical documentation of his 18 months in the White House as Secretary of Defense under Trump. It’s exhaustively detailed and includes information the government tried to have censored. What you’ll find are redacted lines and words in the body of the text; it’s flat out shocking.Esper is a man driven by duty to his country. Why he agreed to serve in Trump’s administration is a mystery. There are spare positive words for our 45th President and lots of praising and back thumping for those who worked along side Esper, saving the proverbial day. It’s his version of things; to be expected. He does query why others, himself included, stay so long after they see how bad things are; no answer shared. His wife told him: “As your wife, please quit. As an American citizen, please stay.” He stays until fired and writes one heck of a resignation letter. I liked the book much more than expected. Esper’s duty to country is inspiring even if his pride can read overbearing at times. A strategic read with less drama than most departed Trumpers and more substance in its place📚

I REALLY enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what to think before opening it, but having met Mark Esper, knowing he is a West Pointer and knowing he is very grounded I was certain it would be good and it exceeded my expectations. A similar accompaniment to books written by McMaster, Bolton and Woodward, this new book reaffirms much of the head-scratching moments when working in the orbit of #45. Mark Esper subscribes, rightly so, to the concept of his oaths at West Point through the one taken as SecDef and chronicles his 18 months of leading the US Defense institution. From Venezuela to COVID to extravagant July 4th celebrations to politics and everything in between, Esper desperately tries walking the legal and moral right while also educating a POTUS who appears to not be this way. He and classmate Mark Milley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs did their very best for their country but the former could not ultimately be loyal enough to his boss to keep his job. Very detailed and revealing, this book’s first hand account is laced with redacted lines and substance though the reader will get the gist.

Esper's debut memoir is admirable. It's very long and I admit I skimmed sections due to the great detail in which he describes military nitty gritty. However, this book held my attention while confirming the fear and trepidation I felt from 2017 - 2021.I was impressed by the index, appendices, epilogue and even the acknowledgments.I'm glad he mentioned his editor and how much good editing helps a new writer. I recommend this book to everyone.

Mark Esper is honorable, brilliant, and courageous. His insight into a dysfunctional White House is fascinating and genuinely scary. We should all be grateful for his thoughtful and honest service as some try to undermine our democracy from within. He was ultimately fired for not being “loyal” to an individual - but he was loyal to the constitution. Thank you Mark!

ever heard of a love me wall? well this is a love me book. It does show how to survive in the trump white house and still get things done, if it is all true. My delay on finishing this book is not because it was boring but because my time for checking out of the library ran out and I had to put it on hold again

Very good memoir from the ex Trump nominated secretary of defence. Esper is a Reagan -admiring military bureaucrat that just wanted to expand US military to even more hegemonic that it already is, but Trump was just too crazy to him. In this memoir Esper tells how Trump in very phew cases wanted to avoid war. In contrary if Trump was alone to decide in military matters he would have used "overwhelming force". Worst still is that in many cases Trump wanted to start a war and then steal the attacked countries natural resources. So in many cases Esper had to control with other military personnel Trumps worst impulses. For me the most shocking was Trumps constant orders to shoot BLM protestors and send the military. Even arguing that "can we at least shoot them in the knees?" Esper's book is a great insight on how the American empire is run and how much worst it could have been if Trump had absolute power

Truly an excellent read. In an environment where people get positions such as cabinet positions and ambassadorships because of political favors, Esper comes through as almost a lone ranger in his adherence to his oath to the constitution. His words bring him across as a team player and throughout he gives strong credit to General Milley. Together they made an outstanding team of leaders, each strongly adhering to their roles and then adding other ethical individuals to their teams. A Sacred Oath is given out as a memoir, but it is more than that. If it was only about his time as Secretary of Defense, it would have been about 300 pages shorter. Instead, Esper gives his readers a fabulous history lesson of events not just in our recent history, but back to our founding fathers. And it is not a dry read in the telling. As I read about when we went after Soleimani (sp?) and what occurred in the situation room I felt like I was reading a Dale Brown or Tom Clancy action adventure. With Esper's words you KNEW what it was like waiting for the strike to occur. If he's looking for another career, writing action adventure fiction reading fans like me would eagerly welcome him to the genre. A Sacred Oath is not fiction -- it is a factual telling where Esper tells the story of what happened in each incident he was a part of, he ties in history and the law in a story to be read and then re-read because there is so much to it. It is a book that definitely belongs in a high school or college level history class. Despite it's 700 page length I was so drawn into his story that I pretty much sat for two days reading it. Now I'm going to take my time on a re-read because there is so much and he has the kind of writing voice you want to read.

I once had a totally impulsive boss, who said one thing one day and another day another. But he was so charismatic that I sought to have a company with him and be his partner. But people like this end up in the trash, because they are not good professionals or good people.Read Mark T. Esper, the US secretary of defense. in the Trump era, he reminded me of these bad times. Trump could have started a war many times, and he would have if he hadn't been stopped by people like Esper. I think the book has really sad moments where Trump's personality comes through. Some of them:Request that the national guard shoot at the legs of the protesters who in the year 2020 protested in several cities in the United States.Wanting to bomb Mexico to destroy drug laboratories. I understand Trump's desperation but this would have been too much.His murderer managed Covid, where many people died due to his incompetence.This book is excellent, as it helps us understand the geopolitical trends and strategies of the United States. in the world.Finally, and in my opinion, Trump is a psychopath, a criminal and his place is in jail (only for his betrayal of the country by fomenting an insurrection). A second Trump presidency (which may come about because of Biden's mistakes) would be a disaster for the world and the United States.

Remember lava lamps? While contained with the glass or plastic outer shell the lava « blob » continued to shift its shape. Fascinating really. So what has that for to do with my review of this book?Well, there are so many books, so many shows, new stations, and social media outlets churning out material and commentaries it is hard to get any shape or definition of what went on during the Trump presidency. That said, I look upon Esper’s book as a place of reasoned insight and argument.Now, I still can’t understand why a man in his position would not immediately quit his position after hearing the President suggest shooting protesters. And yes, I did read Esper’s justification. That said, this book offers an informed insight into the workings of the President, his mindset, the politics of decision making at all levels of government and the realities of what can be accomplished in a nation’s defence over both the short term and the long term. This book is a look beneath the covers of what went on in Washington and what goes on in the offices of those who must train and be prepared to defend America each day. It’s chilling. Who was it that said ´I have seen the enemy and it is us?´Regardless of one’s political position I think this is a valuable book to read.

I fundamentally disagree with Mark Esper on many, many issues related to US foreign policy. I think he is blind to many of the deep seated structural issues that have corroded the highest levels of our government. However, he was a sane and responsible person who was in the right place at the right time to prevent an unknowable number of horrific events that a loyalist in his position would have permitted. From a historical perspective this gives a fascinating insider look at what happens when the most powerful democratic republic the world has ever seen elects an incompetent and malevolent leader. It also gives a glimpse of what might have happened if we didn't have a politically independent military which may have been our saving grace - this time at least. I also learned a ton about the US military and how the political elite view the geopolitical power struggle with both other great powers such as China and regional conflicts with states such as Iran. I would recommend this book to anybody regardless of their political leanings to gain a better understanding of how modern America really works behind the scenes domestically and on the world stage.

I continue to be amazed at the books, articles, and other memoirs coming out of the TrumpAdministration. It was one of the most contentious political eras certainly of my lifetime and perhaps in US history. I have my own thoughts and observations given my 20 plus years in Washington and it’s good “hearing” other perspectives from both loyalists and critics alike. Whether you’re an Esper fan or not, you have to agree that his front row seat on decisions … many of which were made directly to the President, is insightful and educational. I’m also a student of leadership and I learned so much more about many of the main actors in DC during these times. I Intend to read the book again just to take notes for my own leadership growth journal.

Probably the best book to date on the Trump administration. Written by a career military man that took his role seriously and worked to defend the constitution at a high cost. The challenges he faced were many and he did some well and left a lot of room for improvement in others. What he writes about Trump matches what most others in the administration describe plus he brings a perspective from a military professional serving in a civilian capacity. The greatest value here is the respect he gets and gives to the many military officers that had to find ways to perform their duties in trying times.Well worth the read.

ExcellentI don't know the the author personally, although I heard his name for years. I served in the DoD, as a civilian, in the Pentagon. I think this is an accurate portrayal of the challenges facing the military community. Mark Experts was an exceptional SECDEF, who embodies what the Defense Department believes in and strives to accomplish. Some outside government may find some of it dry, and some might find the absence of juicy gossip disappointing. I found myself thinking that Mark Experts reactions and observations were that of any reasonable, rational person,in the same situation. I highly recommend this book.

I'm a Democrat and I must say that I'm immensely impressed by the vast amount of accomplishments achieved by Mark Esper and the DoD and the others who served with him in the short amount of time he had in that office. I had no idea of the breadth of the Secretary of Defense's involvement in our country's security. We were so fortunate to have such an amazing, experienced, ambitious, honorable and brilliant man in charge of tipping the scales towards security and sanity during the most important time during Trump's administration.