Lieutenant General (Ret. Mark Hertling If I Don't Return

Produktbeskrivelse

"This journal was once a gift to our young sons. It is now a gift to anyone who cares to read it." WhenMajorMark Hertling deployed to Iraq in 1990as theoperations officer of an armoredcavalry squadron,his unitwas told50 percent of themwouldlikely sustaincasualties. To him, that meanthemightnotreturn homeandmayperhapsneversee his family again.Toprepare forthatpotentialoutcome, hebegan keepinga journal, hoping that one day, if hedidn'treturn, his stories and wisdomwould be passedto hisyoungsons. Inanarmy-issued green notebook,Markbegan recording his thoughtsand hopes for his boys.Hewrote ofcharacter,leadership, camaraderie, battles, cultural differences, religion,love,fear, andthe things he wanted his boys to know about himand his experiences.In unfiltered, handwritten entries, Hertling captured the reality of combat in Operation Desert Storm: the waiting and missions, the chaos and courage, the brotherhood and grief, and the lessons of duty and humanity forged in war.What began as a father's private messages became a rare chronicle of leadership and lifein preparation for the crucible of battle. But hesurvived, returned home, andwas able towatch hisboysgrowinto men. Decades later, after both his sons became combat veterans themselves, one of them typed those original pagesas a gift to his dad-to preservethe legacyfor thefamily'snext generation. In revisiting those original journal entries, Hertling-having beenpromoted,havingservedin various positions,andhavingreturnedto the battlefields of Iraqover the next two decades-added reflections drawn fromhislife.Reflecting onvarious military assignments, thenhispost-retirement jobs as acable news analyst, healthcare executive, and professor ofleadership, thesejournal entries now providevaluablelessons on character, leadership, and service. Part battlefield memoir, part father's journal, part meditation onthe challenges of leadership,If IDon'tReturnis the story of a soldier who faced death, returned home, andcontinued to live a life of service.

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