A middle-aged woman came up to my table and asked if I was Mr. Gates, the new Secretary of Defense. I said yes. She congratulated me on my nomination and then said to me with tears in her eyes, 'I have two sons in Iraq. For God's sake, please bring them home alive. We'll be praying for you.' I was overwhelmed. I nodded, maybe mumbled something like, I'll try. I couldn't finish my dinner, and I couldn't sleep that night. Our wars had just become very real to me, along with the responsibility I was taking on for all those in the fight.
-- Author (Chapter 1 paragraph Page 12, Paragraph 3)

Importance: In this simple encounter, the enormity of his task suddenly becomes clear to Gates as he realizes the responsibility he has for the safety and well-being of thousands of troops.

I was struck in the meeting by the service chiefs' seeming detachment from the wars we...
-- Author (Chapter 2 paragraph Page 39, Paragraph 4)