The General’s Briefer
by Bob Woolsey
The Little Black Book Tells All
FORMER PENTAGON INTELLIGENCE OFFICER SERVES UP SLICE OF AMERICAN HISTORY
The Pentagon: few places invoke a greater sense of power while being almost completely shrouded in privacy. What happens behind the scenes, how are decisions made and who is responsible for gathering and disseminating global information?
Enter The General’s Briefer by Bob Woolsey. In a wonderful, autobiographical snapshot of Woolsey’s military career, he shares anecdotes about his military training and two-year stint in the Intelligence Support Branch of the military as an Oral Briefing Officer from 1968-1970. During one of the countries most tumultuous and eventful periods, Woolsey gives readers an insider’s account of American history that’s frequently hilarious and, at times, remarkably poignant.
Woolsey’s story begins when he accepts the inevitable. He has procrastinated and stayed in school long enough to earn a law degree and can no longer put off his future: it’s time to serve his two-year ROTC military commitment to his country. Dropped off in Columbus, GA at Fort Benning, he quickly realizes he may be one of the worst soldiers of all time — if being a soldier means shooting a gun precisely, marching and running, and finding my way by using a compass and doing other “military” stuff. With a little luck, common sense and sheer determination, Woolsey makes it through basic training and, blessed with a name that puts him at the end of the line, he is assigned a “cushy” job in the Pentagon while those at the start of the alphabet serve their time in the front of Vietnam’s enemy territory.
During the next two years, Woolsey is privy to some of the most historical events in our country’s history. Charming, informative, and a first-person account of history, The General’s Briefer details:
• Hello Columbus – You’re in the Army now
• Follow the Yellow Brick Road – The wrong way to attack the enemy
• Lightening Strikes Twice – Tragedy: Bobby Kennedy assassinated
• First Encounter With Spooks – New colleagues at the Pentagon
• The Russians are Coming – Woolsey prevents World War III … sort of
• Biggest Flare-up Since Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow – The 1968 Democratic National Convention
• Good News for a Change – We land a man on the Moon
• Another Middle East Madman – This time the lunatic is Mu’maar Qadaffi
• And much more!
“We learn most of our history lessons through a textbook or in a classroom,” says Woolsey, “I was fortunate enough to be a part of breaking news during two of the most influential years in American history and enjoy sharing my personal insight with others.”
Bob Woolsey is a former Captain in the Army Intelligence who served as an Oral Briefer to the General Staff of the Pentagon. He is a graduate in law from the University of Virginia and a Fulbright Scholar Germany. He works as an attorney in New York and New Jersey specializing in Estate Planning. He is also a member of Mensa and Intertel.
The General’s Briefer is available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com.
