Image Courtesy of Major Dan Sukman
Top Five Books
Erich Maria Remarque, The Road Back: The difficulties of returning from war and facing the reality of a lost youth
Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo: This book taught me patience, to think and act strategically
Norman Mailer, The Naked and the Dead: Best Writer since Shakespeare
Michael Lewis, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood: Sure I’m a Soldier, but my most important duties are as a father
Ken Dryden, The Game: If you read one Chapter, read how the Soviets transformed the game. You can learn a lot from your adversaries
The One That Shaped Me The Most
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer. Mailer not only accurately describes combat, but gets into the guts in the development of his characters. Everyone has their flaws, everyone carries baggage with them in a combat zone, some heavier than others. Mailer’s impact goes well beyond his description of combat and the humans that fight, his writing style in all his books influenced me to put pen to paper and write myself. In some ways I look at Mailer’s writings and think one day I could be that good, but know deep down that we are generations away from another writer like him.