Anton Myrer

Who was Anton Myrer?

Anton Olmstead Myrer was a United States Marine Corps veteran and a best-selling author of American war novels that accurately and sensitively depict the lives of United States Army officers while in combat and in peace time. His 1968 novel, Once An Eagle, written at the peak of the Vietnam War, is required reading for all Marines and is frequently used in leadership training at West Point. The novel, considered a classic of military literature and a guide to honorable conduct in the profession of arms, has been compared favorably to Leo Tolstoy's magnum opus War and Peace. Ten years after publication, Once an Eagle was made into a television mini-series starring Glenn Ford.

Myrer wrote eight other novels, of which The Big War was adapted for a movie in 1958 and The Last Convertible was made into a television mini-series in 1979. Once An Eagle and The Last Convertible became international best-sellers and were translated in 19 languages.

The United States Army War College Foundation celebrates October 14 every year as Anton Myrer Army Leader Day to discuss leadership issues at the strategic level. This day serves as the capstone event for the U.S.