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Charlie Mike: A True Story of Heroes Who Brought Their Mission Home
This true story of two decorated combat veterans who find a new way to save their comrades and heal their country is “a great look at two of the best veteran organizations going and the incredible humans who make the effort work” (Jon Stewart).In Charlie Mike, a true account that “reads like a novel” (Publishers Weekly) and “explodes like a thriller” (The Huffington Post), Klein tells the dramatic story of Eric Greitens and Jake Wood, larger-than-life war heroes who come home and use their military values to help others. Wounded in Iraq, Navy SEAL Eric Greitens returns home to find that his fellow veterans all want the same to continue to serve their country. He founds The Mission Continues to provide paid public service fellowships for wounded veterans. One of the first fellows is former Marine sergeant Jake Wood, a natural leader who begins Team Rubicon, organizing 9/11 veterans for dangerous disaster relief projects around the world. “We do chaos,” he says. “A deep and compelling exploration of a group of young veterans determined to continue serving after leaving the military” (The Washington Post), this is a story that hasn’t been told before—a saga of lives saved, not wasted. The chaos these soldiers face isn’t only in the streets of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake or in New York City after Hurricane Sandy—it’s also in the lives of their fellow veterans. Charlie Mike shows how Greitens and Wood draw on the military virtues of discipline and selflessness to guide others towards inner peace and, ultimately, to help build a more vigorous nation.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2015
23 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Joe Klein
69 books53 followersJoe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim Fellow. Since 2003 he has been a contributor at the current affairs Time news group. In April 2006, he published Politics Lost, a book on what he calls the "pollster-consultant industrial complex". He has also written articles and book reviews for The New Republic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, LIFE and Rolling Stone.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 4, 2015
Just finished Charlie Mike on my flight. Great book that filled me with even more pride and caused me to fight back more than a few tears. Definite must-read!
December 14, 2015
Fascinating, moving and inspiring.
January 6, 2016
An amazing piece of writing about the veterans returning from Iraq / Afghanistan and their desire to continue serving others through their work. Team Rubicon and The Mission Continues are the two main groups profiled but he also mentions Ride 2 Recovery, IAVA and Give an Hour, all helping the veteran cause. Klein's writing is clear and he is a masterful storyteller. ~300 pages but easily read in a few days. Tears streamed down my face as I read the last page of the book. Moving. Inspirational. Timely. Highly recommend it.
"It doesn't matter what it is; it only matters that you are continuing to put others before yourself, just like you did when you were in the military. Actions like that are the only sure ways to bring about the positive social change that our country and our world need so badly these days." - Clay Hunt in "Charlie Mike"
"It doesn't matter what it is; it only matters that you are continuing to put others before yourself, just like you did when you were in the military. Actions like that are the only sure ways to bring about the positive social change that our country and our world need so badly these days." - Clay Hunt in "Charlie Mike"
May 14, 2016
Weaving the extraordinary stories of Jake Wood and Eric Greitens with other service members, Klein shows how rough the transition from active duty to veteran can be for those returning home from war. These two veterans (and many others mention and not mentioned in this book) reached out and created solutions, both for veterans and to the needs they saw in the world around them. Service is the way to change the world and to help veterans.
Why I started this book: I love reading SEAL autobiographies but my favorite was Grietens' The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL. I eagerly read his second book Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life realizing that I have a full-on SEAL crush.
Why I finished it: Jake Woods is just as impressive as Grietens. And I was very impressed with Klein's explaining some nuances that I missed in my reading of Greitens' autobiography. This felt like a very balanced portrayal of both men, which then highlights the work that they have done and the work that still needs to be done.
Why I started this book: I love reading SEAL autobiographies but my favorite was Grietens' The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL. I eagerly read his second book Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life realizing that I have a full-on SEAL crush.
Why I finished it: Jake Woods is just as impressive as Grietens. And I was very impressed with Klein's explaining some nuances that I missed in my reading of Greitens' autobiography. This felt like a very balanced portrayal of both men, which then highlights the work that they have done and the work that still needs to be done.
June 19, 2015
A phenomenal, dramatic book about what combat veterans are doing to help other combat veterans, from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, to help them find purpose, peace and healing upon returning to the States. Eric Greitens founded a non-profit, The Mission Continues, to help veterans including those wounded & disabled, with PTSD or just challenged to adjust to civilian life, feel empowered to continue apply their skills and leadership at home. It is inspiring, compelling and unbelievable what these veterans are doing. Thank you Joe Klein for this incredible story.
November 6, 2015
An excellent look at programs that are helping Vets help themselves with service to others. There are some hard lessons in the book but they make the story and the people real. This is a narrative of people helping people and serving as an example what this new generation of service members are doing to help others.
February 18, 2016
When Joe Klein begins to tell the story, he explains how the devastating earthquake in Haiti inspired Eric Greitens and Jake Wood, two Iraq war veterans, to offer their help. Who better then former soldiers trained to work under the most stressful conditions could there be, they thought, but they encountered bureaucratic nonsense when they tried to go through proper channels. Instead, they organized a group of former “brothers in combat” with whom they had deployed to Iraq, and formed Team Rubicon. This team, that was hurriedly assembled, worked so well together and accomplished so much good in a very short time, working with the Jesuits, that they decided to continue their mission by finding new ways to offer their help when disasters occurred around the world. They knew how to deploy quickly and accomplish their goals efficiently without the governmental red tape that normally held things up and prevented missions from getting done in a timely fashion. They wanted the returning servicemen who often had trouble adjusting to life back home again, to volunteer in this effort. They could jump through hoops and over hurdles to accomplish good things for society; that was the ambition that drove them to offer their service to the country to begin with, and in that way they could also readjust to life back home. Team Rubicon grew and went wherever there was a need. They were involved with the clean up in Sandy Hook, N.J., which suffered massive flooding after a storm, offered their help in the places devastated by Hurricane Katrina, traveled to Chile to help after a terrible earthquake, and to Pakistan to help in a Cholera epidemic. If the need for help arose, they tried to answer the call. They created ancillary businesses to give jobs to returning veterans, provided counseling, and offered scholarships for education. Families of returning soldiers and the fallen became involved as well.
The most important message to come out of the book was that these loyal, returning veterans would never stop trying to help others, and they would never give up on their mission. Sadly, although the men and women had noble intentions and were well-meaning and brave, some were damaged before they went to war, and so they were more so after they came home. Helping these returnees to acclimate and assimilate into the peaceful world was often a losing battle. These brave men and women tried hard to save each other but some were lost to suicide while they waited to be approved for help by the Veteran’s Administration, which was, and still is, underfunded and in disarray in many places.
Charlie Mike means “continue the mission” in military speak, and these men and women were obsessed with doing just that. All Americans should be grateful for their effort. However, Klein’s sometimes subtle, but obvious, left-wing interjections often interfered with the thread connecting the stories about these war heroes, and they even sometimes dominated the narrative and obscured the emphasis on their courage and their suffering. The book, unfortunately, was disorganized; it skipped around from place to place in each chapter without what seemed to be a rational outline. The chapters seemed disconnected from each other. Although the book is described as being one that is about the two men mentioned above, it mentioned so many other men and women that it was hard to even remember which person was being discussed from chapter to chapter or which place each new disaster occurred. Because the story about these courageous men and women was important to me, I soldiered on and read it until the end, but I think the book should have been organized differently, with each chapter fully “vetting” a single featured character and his background. Then in the final chapters, the way they came together to work and help in disaster areas would have been more structured enabling the dots to be connected. It was simply too scattered, too repetitive, too detailed and too politically motivated.
The author wanted to expose the difficulties the soldiers faced when returning to civilian life after being in the theater of war. They suffered from physical, mental and emotional stress, often succumbing to PTSD. Klein delved deeply into the background of many of the soldiers he discussed, often including a bit too much detail, and sometimes the narrator, Graham, became too much a part of the book, over-emoting as if it was a stage production. When Klein attempted to wax poetic and get lyrical, the book also faltered. It needed a more sober approach to pay homage to those who served, those who wanted to “continue their mission” long after they had to do so.
Both Greitens and Wood were part of the cadre of returning veterans from the Iraq war. These men and women should have been welcomed home as heroes by all of us because they are the ones that stand between danger and our safety, but they were often forgotten in the shuffle, in the political brouhaha framed by the liberal left and their hypocritical cohorts like “Code Pink”. They promptly forgot their vociferous and boisterous objections to war once the Democrats assumed power and the Republicans exited, which they readily admit. They can no longer get the following they had during the Bush administration when they protest now, during Obama’s reign. “Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the women’s anti-war group Code Pink, blames the Democrats”, according to the Washington Times of 9/4/13.
Instead of honoring our returning soldiers, anti-war sentiment portrayed them as collaborators. They were not welcomed home like the brave men and women they were, but instead they were ostracized. The damage done by these hypocritical do-gooders is as damaging as what was done to the Viet Nam war veterans at a different time in history. Perhaps if the soldiers had been welcomed more kindly and debriefed more effectively on their return they would not have been so lost and ill at ease when they returned home after leaving the war zone. These men witnessed death and destruction and terrible acts of atrocity, some by those they knew, some who simply lost it in the heat of battle and death all around them, some simply as a direct result of what happens in a war. They needed and still need respect and care when they return, not demonstrations shaming them. Even though the book is not written that well, it deserves to be read because of the message which honors our men and women in uniform.
The most important message to come out of the book was that these loyal, returning veterans would never stop trying to help others, and they would never give up on their mission. Sadly, although the men and women had noble intentions and were well-meaning and brave, some were damaged before they went to war, and so they were more so after they came home. Helping these returnees to acclimate and assimilate into the peaceful world was often a losing battle. These brave men and women tried hard to save each other but some were lost to suicide while they waited to be approved for help by the Veteran’s Administration, which was, and still is, underfunded and in disarray in many places.
Charlie Mike means “continue the mission” in military speak, and these men and women were obsessed with doing just that. All Americans should be grateful for their effort. However, Klein’s sometimes subtle, but obvious, left-wing interjections often interfered with the thread connecting the stories about these war heroes, and they even sometimes dominated the narrative and obscured the emphasis on their courage and their suffering. The book, unfortunately, was disorganized; it skipped around from place to place in each chapter without what seemed to be a rational outline. The chapters seemed disconnected from each other. Although the book is described as being one that is about the two men mentioned above, it mentioned so many other men and women that it was hard to even remember which person was being discussed from chapter to chapter or which place each new disaster occurred. Because the story about these courageous men and women was important to me, I soldiered on and read it until the end, but I think the book should have been organized differently, with each chapter fully “vetting” a single featured character and his background. Then in the final chapters, the way they came together to work and help in disaster areas would have been more structured enabling the dots to be connected. It was simply too scattered, too repetitive, too detailed and too politically motivated.
The author wanted to expose the difficulties the soldiers faced when returning to civilian life after being in the theater of war. They suffered from physical, mental and emotional stress, often succumbing to PTSD. Klein delved deeply into the background of many of the soldiers he discussed, often including a bit too much detail, and sometimes the narrator, Graham, became too much a part of the book, over-emoting as if it was a stage production. When Klein attempted to wax poetic and get lyrical, the book also faltered. It needed a more sober approach to pay homage to those who served, those who wanted to “continue their mission” long after they had to do so.
Both Greitens and Wood were part of the cadre of returning veterans from the Iraq war. These men and women should have been welcomed home as heroes by all of us because they are the ones that stand between danger and our safety, but they were often forgotten in the shuffle, in the political brouhaha framed by the liberal left and their hypocritical cohorts like “Code Pink”. They promptly forgot their vociferous and boisterous objections to war once the Democrats assumed power and the Republicans exited, which they readily admit. They can no longer get the following they had during the Bush administration when they protest now, during Obama’s reign. “Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the women’s anti-war group Code Pink, blames the Democrats”, according to the Washington Times of 9/4/13.
Instead of honoring our returning soldiers, anti-war sentiment portrayed them as collaborators. They were not welcomed home like the brave men and women they were, but instead they were ostracized. The damage done by these hypocritical do-gooders is as damaging as what was done to the Viet Nam war veterans at a different time in history. Perhaps if the soldiers had been welcomed more kindly and debriefed more effectively on their return they would not have been so lost and ill at ease when they returned home after leaving the war zone. These men witnessed death and destruction and terrible acts of atrocity, some by those they knew, some who simply lost it in the heat of battle and death all around them, some simply as a direct result of what happens in a war. They needed and still need respect and care when they return, not demonstrations shaming them. Even though the book is not written that well, it deserves to be read because of the message which honors our men and women in uniform.
May 6, 2020
This is a very well written book. It can be a little dry at times but for the most part it is very entertaining. This story is about two soldiers who returned home but were not finished with their ultimate goal. Once they got home they were not done giving. They tried to join the red cross after hurricane Katrina. When he called they told him they aren't taken inexperienced people on the spot without any training. He told her he was an ex-marine, but she wouldn't listen. He didn't want to go through weeks of training he didn't need, so he got one of his buddies from the marines, and they gathered a couple of other people, such as one man they had just met in the airport who asked them if they were going out to the middle east to help with the hurricane. Surprisingly they were allowed right in to the operations, and they did their part to help, and they had set up their own operations. They had saved many lives and this book is truly an inspiration, and a great story about the many heroes keeping us safe.
January 1, 2026
3.5 Stars
My solid take away from “Charlie Mike”: the sense of belonging that the military engenders in us- being part of something greater than ourselves, and joint service before self, is something veterans crave and need after service.
It’s the reason why many veteran service organizations are created and why many vets want to serve on the teams created by VSO’s.
The book by Joe Klein was sympathetically written, and gave a solid snapshot of the growth and evolution of this movement from @ 2009 -2012 of the founding of two organizations The Mission Continues & Team Rubicon.
I’m more moved by the faith-based VSOs like SOF Missions, Reboot Recovery, The Warriors Journey & Mighty Oaks, because I think the service focus of Team Rubicon and of TMC are commendable but not transcendent—and this aspect, found in Christ is life changing and life saving.
Grateful for the good work done by VSOs to energize veterans and to save us from the potent risks of PTS and Moral Injury. There is so much more, post-service, we can do for good, for this Nation.
My solid take away from “Charlie Mike”: the sense of belonging that the military engenders in us- being part of something greater than ourselves, and joint service before self, is something veterans crave and need after service.
It’s the reason why many veteran service organizations are created and why many vets want to serve on the teams created by VSO’s.
The book by Joe Klein was sympathetically written, and gave a solid snapshot of the growth and evolution of this movement from @ 2009 -2012 of the founding of two organizations The Mission Continues & Team Rubicon.
I’m more moved by the faith-based VSOs like SOF Missions, Reboot Recovery, The Warriors Journey & Mighty Oaks, because I think the service focus of Team Rubicon and of TMC are commendable but not transcendent—and this aspect, found in Christ is life changing and life saving.
Grateful for the good work done by VSOs to energize veterans and to save us from the potent risks of PTS and Moral Injury. There is so much more, post-service, we can do for good, for this Nation.
May 3, 2019
Have you ever gone to the library and picked up a random book only to find that it was just what you were looking for and that you were meant to read It? That's what happened to me with this book. I wasn't looking for it but it was what I needed. It details the stories of the men and women who served our country and came back, put their skills to work, and served their local communities and those around the world. These men and women are the backbone of two amazing organizations, Team Rubicon and The Mission Continues. They serve in their local communities and deploy to disaster areas to provide relief. I highly recommend this inspirational and eye-opening story!
March 9, 2017
As a member of Team Rubicon, I was excited to grab a copy of this book to learn more about the organization's beginnings. This well written book provides a good overview of the origins of TR and why some of the organizations current traditions came about. The book is something of an emotional roller-coaster - full of action at times, heartbreaking at others - but overall, very inspirational. It is amazing what a few type A personalities can accomplish when they decide they want to help others, red-tape be damned, and that is what they did.
June 25, 2024
Very good book, written with the real strength that our country needs now. The true stories about the men and women who served in our armed forces, came home and fought another battle against PTSD, lethargy and apathy to help others all over the world.
The heart breaks and triumphs of this new "Greatest Generation" shows what we can accomplish if we get our egos and politics out of the way.
The kind of book that honestly makes you look at yourself and rejoice there are people like this in the world. How can I help?
The heart breaks and triumphs of this new "Greatest Generation" shows what we can accomplish if we get our egos and politics out of the way.
The kind of book that honestly makes you look at yourself and rejoice there are people like this in the world. How can I help?
August 9, 2017
This was my first DNF in a long while. This is clearly not my genre. I felt that the author lionized his subjects so much that they didn't seem human -- rather super heroes. This coupled with subjects of war, football and military-style operations simply failed to sustain my attention and I finally bailed after the first 100 pages. I can see why this would appeal to others, but it just didn't do it for me.
June 8, 2020
This novel is heavy. I did find myself crying of joy and of sadness at various points of reading this. I've always appreciated our veterans and those who are currently serving, but this novel has made me appreciate them even more. Towards the end of the novel, it goes into PTSD and I myself, having been diagnosed with it, never really came to accept it as something part of me. However, Post Traumatic Growth is something I gladly claim as mine. The mission never ends - it continues.
January 17, 2017
This is a must read!! A great book about brave and broken men who have experienced the worst and their journey, through service, back to health. Some made it and some didn't but The Mission Continues and the work it has done is amazing. I'm proud to say that Eric Greitans is the governor of our state of MO.
March 17, 2018
Excellent!!
As a retired US Army NCO, I know the feeling of loss when I left my family & my home (the military). We vets feel lost & alone in a society where service, God, honor & Country means NOTHING! Maybe this book will inspire others as much as it touched my heart. Thank you Sir for a phenomenal book and story. I am a PROUD member of Team Rubicon.
As a retired US Army NCO, I know the feeling of loss when I left my family & my home (the military). We vets feel lost & alone in a society where service, God, honor & Country means NOTHING! Maybe this book will inspire others as much as it touched my heart. Thank you Sir for a phenomenal book and story. I am a PROUD member of Team Rubicon.
February 1, 2018
The actual story is touching. The way it is written did not flow for me. It jumps forwards, backwards, and sideways. And in some sections, characters where referred by their last names the entire time and then other sections it would use their first names. Very confusing.
May 20, 2018
Typically I like war heroes stories. Unfortunately, the author does a huge disservice to the heroes depicted in this book. The writing style is horrible, and there is a lot of gratuitous vulgar vocabulary.
I only managed to read around one-third of the book. That was painful and a drag.
I only managed to read around one-third of the book. That was painful and a drag.
March 25, 2018
Such an emotional and inspirational book.
I never thought that I could like a non-fiction book as much as I loved this one.
I never thought that I could like a non-fiction book as much as I loved this one.
November 6, 2021
BeYONd Admirable! Really, Veterans are just the best…
My Full Review →
My Full Review →
May 22, 2016
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” - Pericles’ funeral oration per Thucydides in the History of the Peloponnesian War
Charlie Mike is not the name of any person, but military shorthand for “continue the mission.” This is the story of some veterans from America’s 21st century wars and their reorientation to civilian life.
Navy veteran Eric Greitens was the initial driving force behind the organization that grew to be named “The Mission Continues.” His life had been filled with a desire to achieve excellence in all things, academics, sports, martial arts, leadership, and service, military and otherwise. That innate urge led him to carve a way for veterans of his generation to transition back to the civilian world. Eric’s ideal of “warrior” and all that entailed convinced him that veterans needed not only to be of service but also needed the camaraderie of fellow veterans while doing so. Many felt isolated from the civilian population and struggled to fit in. Give them a mission/purpose with other vets and they could heal each other and hopefully decrease the astronomical rate of suicide and emotional dysfunction among the men and women who had served.
Jake Wood, a Marine veteran of Afghanistan, and his buddy Clay Hunt, were on their way back from volunteer service in post earthquake Haiti, on a plane to Miami, when they found Eric’s advertisement in “Outside” magazine. He was looking for veterans who wanted to be part of a force that used their military skills for service to others. Jake and Clay had just completed a remarkable experience in Haiti and both knew they wanted to help at another disaster zone in the future. To their surprise, they found the Haitian people gracious and grateful for the help that they brought. They saw no evidence of the havoc that was described on broadcast TV and in other media.
That was the opening for Jake and Eric to join forces. Team Rubicon, focusing on disaster response, and The Mission Continues, the larger organization with a wider scope of service projects result. The Mission Continues has its own website and presently has a large number of corporate sponsors, celebrity board members, and thousands of veterans in its membership. Klein documents the beginning and the extraordinary lives of the men and women involved in this project.
I found this book eminently readable. Klein writes well, packs a lot of information into these pages, and his deep respect and admiration for the people involved in this organization are evident. At times I found him a bit too emotional, but that is just a matter of opinion. It is a book about people who have been to hell and back, some still with one foot in hell, so know that you will alternately cheer and tear when you read their stories. Not all make it back to civilian life. There are undiagnosed traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress (which one psychiatrist refuses to call a disorder because PTS is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation), and the incredible stress of dealing with the Veterans Administration and their byzantine application process. There are broken relationships among the veterans as well as veterans and their loved ones. There is also heroic generosity of spirit backed up with action. The biggest surprise to me was to learn how these combat veterans felt about the people and places where they were deployed. 4.75 stars.
This review will be published in the 5/27/2016 issue of the Coastal Breeze News (Marco Island, FL).
Charlie Mike is not the name of any person, but military shorthand for “continue the mission.” This is the story of some veterans from America’s 21st century wars and their reorientation to civilian life.
Navy veteran Eric Greitens was the initial driving force behind the organization that grew to be named “The Mission Continues.” His life had been filled with a desire to achieve excellence in all things, academics, sports, martial arts, leadership, and service, military and otherwise. That innate urge led him to carve a way for veterans of his generation to transition back to the civilian world. Eric’s ideal of “warrior” and all that entailed convinced him that veterans needed not only to be of service but also needed the camaraderie of fellow veterans while doing so. Many felt isolated from the civilian population and struggled to fit in. Give them a mission/purpose with other vets and they could heal each other and hopefully decrease the astronomical rate of suicide and emotional dysfunction among the men and women who had served.
Jake Wood, a Marine veteran of Afghanistan, and his buddy Clay Hunt, were on their way back from volunteer service in post earthquake Haiti, on a plane to Miami, when they found Eric’s advertisement in “Outside” magazine. He was looking for veterans who wanted to be part of a force that used their military skills for service to others. Jake and Clay had just completed a remarkable experience in Haiti and both knew they wanted to help at another disaster zone in the future. To their surprise, they found the Haitian people gracious and grateful for the help that they brought. They saw no evidence of the havoc that was described on broadcast TV and in other media.
That was the opening for Jake and Eric to join forces. Team Rubicon, focusing on disaster response, and The Mission Continues, the larger organization with a wider scope of service projects result. The Mission Continues has its own website and presently has a large number of corporate sponsors, celebrity board members, and thousands of veterans in its membership. Klein documents the beginning and the extraordinary lives of the men and women involved in this project.
I found this book eminently readable. Klein writes well, packs a lot of information into these pages, and his deep respect and admiration for the people involved in this organization are evident. At times I found him a bit too emotional, but that is just a matter of opinion. It is a book about people who have been to hell and back, some still with one foot in hell, so know that you will alternately cheer and tear when you read their stories. Not all make it back to civilian life. There are undiagnosed traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress (which one psychiatrist refuses to call a disorder because PTS is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation), and the incredible stress of dealing with the Veterans Administration and their byzantine application process. There are broken relationships among the veterans as well as veterans and their loved ones. There is also heroic generosity of spirit backed up with action. The biggest surprise to me was to learn how these combat veterans felt about the people and places where they were deployed. 4.75 stars.
This review will be published in the 5/27/2016 issue of the Coastal Breeze News (Marco Island, FL).
February 11, 2016
I have often wondered about veterans coming back to civilian life. These are highly trained men and women who worked in a team setting, forming a fellowship of compatriots working toward a common goal. And when that experience ends, voluntarily or otherwise, being alone even with the support of others must be something else.
I learned about this book when I was watching the author doing an interview on MSNBC. The prime time news personalities had been doing segment after segment about VA inadequacies, and they would bring in veteran advocates to discuss the experiences of this generation of vets.
In my work, I encounter vets who are dealing with PTS and MST and making their lives work as best they can. This book has made me take a more critical look at how I can support these folks as I try to assist them in my line of work. I also have a group of vets and organizations I will gladly follow and support as they move on through their respective lives and continued service to this country.
I learned about this book when I was watching the author doing an interview on MSNBC. The prime time news personalities had been doing segment after segment about VA inadequacies, and they would bring in veteran advocates to discuss the experiences of this generation of vets.
In my work, I encounter vets who are dealing with PTS and MST and making their lives work as best they can. This book has made me take a more critical look at how I can support these folks as I try to assist them in my line of work. I also have a group of vets and organizations I will gladly follow and support as they move on through their respective lives and continued service to this country.
November 23, 2016
The book Charlie Mike isn't one long story. It's multiple story's about marines when they where training and when they went into battle and their way home. All of the story's in the book are true. If you love heart warming story's you will absolutely love this book , every single story's ends different. Between most of the marines suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, or having a rough life after they made it back home there's something for everyone to enjoy. There is one story about Eric W, it tells how he played college football for Wisconsin, but he stopped after they wanted him to gain an additional 20 pounds he couldn't do it so he quit and later joined the marine. He served for his year and later went home but was suffering from PTSD which caused him to not be able to sleep at all because of the nightmares he was having. He then later opened up a business that helped suffering victims of PTSD to go through his program with other people so they can sleep a night and not have to have horrible nightmares.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2017
An outstanding read about soldiers: their mentality, their struggles, their courage in the face of adversity and their survival outside the military through service to others in the world.
The reader is introduced to several men and women who returned from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, how they struggled with their return to life outside of the military. realizing their struggle to maintain an existence can only come from service to others. Grass root Veterans organizations develop into large scale service led organizations designed to help the Vets live a fulfilled life and deal, sometimes successfully or other times unsuccessfully with the after affects of war.
I had difficulty at times keeping the Vets and their organizations straight, but overall a wonderful read that fills me with admiration for those who had served and suffered protecting us. To those men and women I say "Thank You!"
The reader is introduced to several men and women who returned from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, how they struggled with their return to life outside of the military. realizing their struggle to maintain an existence can only come from service to others. Grass root Veterans organizations develop into large scale service led organizations designed to help the Vets live a fulfilled life and deal, sometimes successfully or other times unsuccessfully with the after affects of war.
I had difficulty at times keeping the Vets and their organizations straight, but overall a wonderful read that fills me with admiration for those who had served and suffered protecting us. To those men and women I say "Thank You!"
March 30, 2016
https://www.missioncontinues.org
The men and women who started this organization have done an amazing and beautiful thing. I'm so happy to have randomly come across this book, and will do what I can in future to support this program.
As for the book itself and its writing - it was a bit confusing at times as to which character we were following and at which point in time. There were a lot of time jumps back and forth in trying to give a history of so many people.
A more structured and chronological accounting would make this easier to read and follow. Also, I believe a bit less of the author's viewpoint and feelings woven in would have been beneficial, and allowed the reader to recognize their own without it being spoon fed. The accomplishments are great enough to stand on their own.
The men and women who started this organization have done an amazing and beautiful thing. I'm so happy to have randomly come across this book, and will do what I can in future to support this program.
As for the book itself and its writing - it was a bit confusing at times as to which character we were following and at which point in time. There were a lot of time jumps back and forth in trying to give a history of so many people.
A more structured and chronological accounting would make this easier to read and follow. Also, I believe a bit less of the author's viewpoint and feelings woven in would have been beneficial, and allowed the reader to recognize their own without it being spoon fed. The accomplishments are great enough to stand on their own.
November 19, 2017
Charlie Mike, a book about Veterans who are continuing the mission ("Charlie Mike") at home and abroad, as civilians. It is the story of the men and women finding purpose and healing themselves, while helping others. Caution: they do not all make it. This is an important book for everyone to read, in order to better understand what our troops go through in war, and the pain they bring home and try to work through. It is compassionate, painful, uplifting, sorrowful... and inspirational. I encourage you to read it and then think about what you can to do contribute to their cause: The Mission Continues, Team Rubicon, IAVA, Give an Hour, Ride2Recovery and others; or to society in some way.
April 13, 2016
The story was very good; I've rated it four starts only because of the story. The writing was so-so which surprised me given the author is a journalist and has written several books. Several sentences were written so awkwardly they stopped the flow of my reading. The switching of back stories of the major characters was abrupt and choppy, especially at the beginning of the the book.
Overall, the story is a very good one and I'm glad it was told. I now want to read Eric Greitens' "The Heart and the Fist".
Overall, the story is a very good one and I'm glad it was told. I now want to read Eric Greitens' "The Heart and the Fist".
January 25, 2016
Maybe it is because I have been able to do work with both organizations. Maybe it is because I am a combat veteran who is still searching for a greater purpose. This book is about some amazing human beings; I couldn't put it down. I found myself asking questions I haven't asked myself in many years. In summarization, if you want to know more about yourself as a veteran who wants to do more... Read this book. Join these organizations.
April 6, 2016
Such a great book! I couldn't put it down. It is so inspiring to learn what The Mission Continues and Team Rubicon have done to help veterans find purpose and a real place to serve after they come home to the states. You may shed some tears, as I did, reading some of the personal stories of these brave men and women. At the same time, so encouraging. I want to learn more about these missions. "A Challenge, Not A Charity" is their motto. www.missioncontinues.org
June 12, 2016
Both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. It should be required reading in high schools as well as in Congress. A powerful message of the desperate lives our service members and veterans have lived, and the need for much more attention and care after discharge from the military.
Also a valuable lesson for ALL citizens of the value and need for civic duty in our communities; an opportunity to build relationships rather than focus on our differences.
Also a valuable lesson for ALL citizens of the value and need for civic duty in our communities; an opportunity to build relationships rather than focus on our differences.
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