Braving the Fear

Book excerpt: While serving in Desert Storm, my team fought more than one battle: one was the impending chemical attacks, the other was each other. We were stuck in a land without TV, family, transportation, and without society. We were men trained to kill, with giant egos, humor, personal battles, tension, a shroud of death lingering silently above us, and intoxicated with Esprit de Corps. We turned to taunting each other for entertainment. One can only imagine what the symbol of American freedom was doing. This book brings you in touch with the real men behind the image of Marines in dress blues with stern looks. They will make you cry, make you feel fear, make you anxious, make you laugh, and make you warm. They will certainly make you realize that, even in war, the human spirit knows to bring out the best in men, which is that universal language we know of as comedy.