Thanks General Berger!
I know the Commandant isn’t going to read my blog, but on the off chance he’s trolling the internet while he should be running the Marine Corps I wanted to give him a big “Thank You, Sir!”
You see, General Berger just released his selections for the Commandant’s Professional Reading Program (colloquially known as “The Commandant’s Reading List”) and my first book, After Action, is on it.
I’m humbled and honored that General Berger, and the Marines tasked with narrowing a metric butt-ton of books down to 46 titles, felt my book was important enough that all Marines should read it.
This is a big deal to me. I self-published After Action because I believed my story could help other veterans understand and process their own combat experiences. But writing and publishing it was only the beginning of the race. In the eight years since, I’ve struggled to get the book into the hands of the men and women who could benefit the most from reading it–active duty military and veterans–and inclusion on the Commandant’s List goes a long way toward making that happen.
So, thank you, General Berger, for including my message that true strength and resiliency come from facing the demons that follow us home from combat on your list.
(Now, if you hurry, you can still watch a few more “cats falling off sofas” videos before the next JCS zoom meeting.)
Semper Fidelis,
Dan
Well done, Dan! And kudos to the Commandant for promoting mental health care and conversation by including your book on his list.
Thanks Ali!
That’s awesome brother… congrats!
Thanks JJ!
I am so pleased General Berger selected your book for this honor. In addition to active duty Marines and veterans reading After Action, parents of Marines should also read it. There is everything to be gained by greater understanding.
Completely agree, Mary. Even when both the veteran and their loved ones want to have an honest conversation about difficult experiences, sometimes the words are hard to find. After Action can be used as a bridge in those moments. So long as both sides of the conversation have read the book, they can reference certain events/parts to establish a common starting point and then delve into the particulars of their own experiences.