Decisions: A Middle-Class Memoir

by Russell Smith, Kurt Schllichter (Foreword)

Dive into "Decisions," an inspiring and poignant memoir of a combat-wounded soldier's journey to peace, healing, and forgiveness. In the first ten seconds, readers will white-knuckle their armchairs as they meet a man who was hit in the head by an enemy rocket and walked away.

Through a rare dual lens—the ground-level perspective of a muddy-boots enlisted Marine and field soldier, and the insider view of a Pentagon Army officer—Decisions illuminates how leadership, perception, and decision-making shape both war and careers. It's Once an Eagle meets Educated — proof that the fiercest battles aren't fought overseas, often they're fought within.

Through Smith's Authenticity, he provides a soldier-scholar's unfiltered account of hardship and honor with a Redemption Arc from violence at the hands of adoptive parents to combat wounds to becoming an educator, coach, and mentor. Russell offers heartfelt anecdotes, irreverent humor, and insightful observations. He found resilience through year-round competitive swimming and Marine Corps values.

Contemporary American culture expects those who are traumatized to step away from the world. Combat veterans are portrayed as addicts, alcoholics, and dysfunctional in personal and professional relationships. Russell Smith was determined to be precisely the opposite. The combat-wounded Purple Heart recipient shares a gripping account of resilience and courage.

Witness his transformation as he embraces military life, first as an enlisted Marine and later as an Army officer. Russell was present for major Pentagon policy decisions early in his career. He offers a candid look at his battles with PTSD and the personal and familial impacts.

Russell led reforms within the California National Guard. Despite internal resistance and political infighting, he worked to restore warrior ethos, improve training, confront misconduct, and address budgeting subterfuge. After retiring in 2006, he pursued a career in education, earning a master's degree and teaching in Oklahoma.

A profoundly motivational memoir that joins the genre's classics, Decisions is a portrait of a middle-class boy's life, characterized by his service to his community, state, and nation, while experiencing timeless emotions of love, joy, grief, loss, and moving on.

Check out Russell's website at
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312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2025

About the author

Russell Claude Smith is a Canadian writer and newspaper columnist. Smith's novels and short stories are mostly set in Toronto, where he lives.

Smith grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He attended the Halifax Grammar School and Queen Elizabeth High School, and studied French literature at Queen's University, the University of Poitiers, and the University of Paris III. He has an MA in French from Queen's.

Russell Smith is one of Canada’s funniest and nastiest writers. His previous novels, including How Insensitive and Girl Crazy, are records of urban frenzy and exciting underworlds. He writes a provocative weekly column on the arts in the national Globe and Mail, and teaches in the MFA program at the University of Guelph. He hates folk music.