General Cosgrove's leadership of the Peacekeeping Force in East Timor saw him become the face of the Australian digger and our well-loved and best-known General since World War II. Cos, as he was known among friends, was born to wear khaki. He followed his father and grandfather into the army, and, as a gung-ho 22-year-old soldier, won the Military Cross for bravery under fire in Vietnam during an assault on enemy positions. It was the start of a fascinating odyssey from cocky lieutenant to revered Commander-in-Chief. This is the untold and long awaited story of the man under the slouch hat. Acclaimed author Patrick Lindsay looks at the real Cos - the soldier, the diplomat and the man - through the eyes of those whose lives he touched, and reveals the journey to the top as the Chief of Australia's Defence Forces in one of the most turbulent periods in our history.