Richard Toner

Portraits in Brass Richard Toner

Portraits in Brass is an inside look at the personalities, leadership attributes and decision making abilities of some of our top military leaders in the '70s and '80s, written by one of the few direct, day-to-day observers during this critical period in our nation's history. As a member of the very small staffs of four of our top military leaders of the period, the author served as a personal advisor to men who were instrumental in extricating us from the Vietnam War and others who took on the challenge of rebuilding the forces who had been decimated by this unpopular war. His observations and remembrances came from a daily diary kept throughout the period, which lend a singular credibility to the events and actions of the time. While avoiding the tendency to be a cheerleader, his reporting is objective, factual and insightful. A number of incidents, which gained international media attention, take on a different perspective when viewed through the eyes of one who played a direct role in the events. No back stairs tell-all or rumor-lover's exposé, Portraits in Brass lends a credible dimension to one of the most emotionally charged periods of late 20th century.