Hero Road

Book excerpt: Hero Road tells the thrilling and uplifting journey of a military man who made a difference. Sean McNeal, a former army sniper, arrives at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, to take charge of a group of misfit ammunition handlers known as the Beefers. Over time, he gains the trust and loyalty of these young soldiers and they gain his. The group evolves into a tight-knit tactical unit, going from one covert operation to the next, including deployments to Iraq. With the help of his men, McNeal employs his old sniper skills to bring a dangerous drug lord down, thereby putting an end to the haunting nightmares of his past. Says the author, "One of the characters in the book, my son-in-law, actually belongs to a band of army buddies who have been together since basic training and several deployments. Each man comes from a different cultural and economic background. One day, Oliver related several humorous escapades of the Beefers as ammo handlers. They each possess their own brand of humor, but when it comes to getting the job done, they are all business. Those stories gave me the inspiration to begin the Hero Road project, giving them a new leader with a troubled past." Gary Smith retired from the U.S. Army in 1992 and immediately began studying for an undergraduate degree in elementary education at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia. Graduating in 1996, he then completed a graduate degree and began teaching elementary school in Savannah. He has also taught in Vidalia, Reidsville, and Glennville, Georgia. He retired from teaching in 2011 and published his autobiography Patriot Son: Memoirs of a Veteran the same year. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/GarySmith