In the Shadow of Greatness: Voices of Leadership, Sacrifice, and Service from America's Longest War

Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2012. First edition. First printing [stated]. Hardcover. Very good in very good dust jacket. Signed by author. Inscribed on half-title by Josh Welle. His book related business card laid in.. Glued binding. Paper over boards. xiv, 247, [3] p. Illustrations, black & white, Map. Understanding how a young person enlists to serve, deploys to the fight, and returns home is unknown to most Americans. Veterans pack up their uniforms, but never lose the call for service when the return to civilian society. The profiles in this book represent the "Next Great Generation" of American leaders. Men and women who lost their innocence in battle and their youths to a decade of deployments, throughout which they never gave up hope. In exchange for down range scars, they gained an unbreakable sense of purpose to America's ideals--freedom, equality, and democracy. The compilation is the most authentic and raw narrative to emerge from the Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. The reader enjoys a spectrum of stories, each patriotic and honorable. The narratives are meant to inspire, educate, and reveal a world many don't understand. Its contents are readable and easy to appreciate.