Upon entering college I was dating a "West Pointer", and just to survive those first few months of separation when he first entered the Academy, I read as many books on the subject as I could. The Long Grey Line and Duty, Honor, Country were a couple of my favorites from back then. I have always had a passion for military history. I took classes on different conflicts during my years at my university even though they had nothing to do with my major. If I could teach any class it would be that. The stories of courage, overcoming incredible odds, survival, mental toughness, physical endurance, comradery, loyalty and leadership mesmerize me. I was at Target a couple weeks ago looking for another book to read and this popped into view. I had no idea until a couple chapters in that it was in fact a true story. It encapsulates all those pieces I mentioned above. The story of a man, an Olympic athlete, who was pulled into a world conflict that would take his will to live to weathering heights. Sometimes difficult to read due to the sheer graphic nature and brutality of his experience, it was impossible to put down. At every new chapter's beginning I just wanted to see if he would survive. The greatest lesson from this book comes from a quote from a Billy Graham speech that turned his life around and healed his soul.
he said 'God says, "If you suffer, I'll give you the grace to go forward." '
Upon reading this line the tears came. It touched me in a way only people closest to me can ever understand. In less than two days I devoured the entire 406 pages. His story is that inspiring.
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