Luther and Arie's son - A soldier's life for me - Courting Alma - "It'll take half a million men to succeed" - Coming home - Back to Vietnam - White House fellow - "Go, gunfighter, go!" - The graduate school of war - In the Carter Defense Department - The Reaganites - and a close call - The phone never stops ringing - "Frank, you're gonna ruin my career" - National security advisor to the President - One last command - "Mr. Chairman, we've got a problem" - When you've lost your best enemy - A line in the sand - Every war must end - Change of command - Mustering out - A farewell to arms - Afterword - Colin Powell's rules.