Here are all the hot new book releases for your veteran author summer reading list
Looking for some inspiring reads for the summer? These 10 new releases by veterans should all be on your list.
THE WARRIOR CODE
By Gunnery Sgt. Tee Marie Hanible
In "The Warrior Code: 11 Principles to Unleash the Badass Inside of You," retired Gunnery Sgt. Tee Marie Hanible draws on her experience as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, reality star, and Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant to serve up eleven principles to awaken your inner badass and thrive in the face of adversity. From the rough streets of Chicago to Hollywood, Hanible illustrates how you can always succeed — with the right amount of grit. A member of one of the first female classes of recruits to complete the Marine Corps Crucible and Combat Training and the only woman to deploy with her unit to Iraq in 2003, it's apparent that she rises to the challenge.
TRANSFORMED
By Remi Adeleke
"A Navy SEAL's unlikely journey from the throne of Africa to the streets of the Bronx, to defying all odds."
Adeleke told Connecting Vets he hopes his new book can serve as a blueprint.
"I was strategically writing my book as somewhat of a blueprint," Adeleke says. "For kids from my background, people from my background, to be able to read and say 'Ok, now I know how to get into the program, and not only am I gonna get in, I'm gonna make it through... One of the main purposes of me writing the book was to inspire and show kids from my background hey, I came from where you came from and I did not have the skills at all to be a SEAL. When I joined the military I couldn't swim. When I joined the military I didn't have the academic scores to be a SEAL. I was skinny, I couldn't do 10 push-ups or one pull-up."
SEA STORIES
By Admiral William McRaven
"Sea Stories" begins in 1960 at the American Officers' Club in France, where Allied officers and their wives gathered to have drinks and tell stories about their adventures during World War II — the place where a young Bill McRaven learned the value of a good story. During his 37-year career as a Navy SEAL, McRaven has commanded at every level and was involved in some of the most famous missions in recent memory, including the capture of Saddam Hussein.
SACRED DUTY
By Tom Cotton
"Every headstone at Arlington tells a story. One of the best ways to understand the sacrifices made by the soldiers who defend our nation is to understand The Old Guard and how they honor those sacrifices inside Arlington. 'Sacred Duty' tells The Old Guard story from its creation in 1784 to its battlefield service through World War II and its role at Arlington since 1948 as the Army’s ceremonial unit and official escort to the president. Readers will learn how the Army cares for our war dead, from the moment they fall on the battlefield to their internment at Arlington by The Old Guard. They will spend a day in the life with Old Guard soldiers conduct military-honor funerals in the cemetery and go behind the scenes at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Readers will learn how Old Guard soldiers achieve their standard of perfection, as well as why it all matters." — Tom Cotton
Cotton was a platoon leader with the storied 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment—The Old Guard—between combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the height of the Iraq Surge, he carried the flag-draped remains of his fallen comrades off of airplanes at Dover Air Force Base, and he laid them to rest in Arlington’s famed Section 60, “the saddest acre in America.” He also performed hundreds of funerals for veterans of the Greatest Generation, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
"An ode to excellence. An inspiring read for every American." — Robert M. Gates
HOUSE TO HOUSE
By Staff Sgt. David Bellavia
Bellavia published his novel about his time in Iraq 11 years ago. Last week, he received the Medal of Honor for his actions there.
Bellavia, with Company A, Task Force 2-2, 1st Infantry Division, was a squad leader the night he single-handedly saved an entire squad and risked his own life to allow his fellow soldiers to break contact and reorganize when trapped by overwhelming insurgent fire. He then voluntarily entered and cleared an insurgent strong point killing four and seriously wounding another.
You can read about his time overseas from his own perspective in "House to House."
“To read this book is to know intimately the daily grind and danger of men at war.”—Anthony Swofford, New York Times bestselling author of Jarhead
THE POLAR BEAR EXPEDITION
By James Carl Nelson
"The Heroes of America's Forgotten Invasion of Russia 1918-1919"
Cool off this summer with the icy, human drama of the 339th regiment of the U.S. Army — roughly 5,000 U.S. soldiers who found themselves hundreds of miles north of Moscow in desperate, bloody combat against the newly formed Soviet Union's Red Army. Temperatures plummeted to sixty below zero. Guns and flesh froze. The Bolsheviks, camouflaged in white, advanced in waves across the snow like ghosts.
"We have forgotten. Russia has not."
EVERY MAN A HERO
By Ray Lambert and Jim DeFelice
Seventy-five years ago, he hit Omaha Beach with the first wave. Now Ray Lambert, ninety-eight years old, delivers one of the most remarkable memoirs of our time, a tour-de-force of remembrance evoking his role as a decorated World War II medic who risked his life to save the heroes of D-Day.
Every Man a Hero is the unforgettable story not only of what happened in the incredible and desperate hours on Omaha Beach, but of the bravery and courage that preceded them, throughout the Second World War—from the sands of Africa, through the treacherous mountain passes of Sicily, and beyond to the greatest military victory the world has ever known.
“At 98, Lambert, who earned a Silver Star and multiple Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts, is still around to tell his story. Readers will be grateful. … Lambert’s narrative flows smoothly throughout, clearly showing the author’s heroism.”— Kirkus Reviews
FLIGHT GIRLS
By Noelle Salazar
Inspired by the real-life female pilots who aided the military during World War II, Noelle Salazar's book illuminates a little-known historical chapter and re-imagines the heroines at its center.
October 1941, with Europe already at war, Audrey Coltrane has come to Hawaii to instruct Army aviators. Ever since she was just a girl, she has been happiest in the cockpit. One day soon, she plans to buy an airfield near her home in Dallas. No man will distract her from her goals, she vows to the fellow fliers who have become cherished friends, not even the dashing Lt. James Hart. Still, their shared experience dodging Japanese gunfire above Pearl Harbor one momentous December morning only deepens their connection.
Extensively researched and vividly told, "The Flight Girls" provides a lens through which to view the WASP groundbreakers who volunteered to serve their country despite the danger and then vanished into obscurity.
"They stepped out of the shadows of men and showed the world how strong they truly were. How much they could endure. And how smart, willing and able. Reading their stories and learning of their bravery moved me, and it became more a question of how could I not write this story? It may be fictional, but there is a lot of truth in these pages, and I can only hope I did this particular group of women justice." — Noelle Salazar
ALONE AT DAWN: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
By Dan Schilling"
Drawing from firsthand accounts, classified documents, dramatic video footage, and extensive interviews with leaders and survivors of the operation, "Alone at Dawn" tells the story of Medal of Honor recipient John Chapman, an Air Force Combat Controller attached to a Navy SEAL team. Chapman was the first airman in nearly fifty years to earn the Medal of Honor.
BEYOND THE POINT
By Claire Gibson
Author Claire Gibson, daughter of a career Army officer, spent seven years on the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
"I woke up every morning to the sound of cadence outside my window because cadets would be running by doing their PT runs," Gibson says. "For me, it was an incredibly inspiring place to be, and really set the bar high for me as what I wanted my life to be like in the future."
And West Point was certainly part of her future. Gibson's novel follows the lives of three female West Point cadets through and beyond West Point.
Gibson says her novel is a tribute to the strong West Point women who mentored her growing up.
"These women, they had incredibly busy schedules," Gibson says. "They were constantly moving and having to live up to their cadet responsibilities. But they also took the time to mentor me and spend time with me, to tell me that I mattered and they loved me. And those relationships, to this day are some of the most meaningful in my life."
