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One Step at a Time: A Young Marine's Story of Courage, Hope and a New Life in the NFL
Josh Bleill tells people he had “one bad day” while on combat patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, on October 15, 2006. That day, an IED struck his Humvee, tearing through the vehicle and killing two of his fellow marines while severely injuring Bleill and his best friend. He awoke five days later with to learn of the catastrophic loss of his two friends and both of his legs. Recovering physically presented a great challenge, but the mental recovery was the toughest battle. For three and a half months he never left the hospital because he didn't want people to see his injured body. In One Step at a Time , Bleill shares the story of his own personal redemption and the many life-changing moments he encountered, from his enlistment to active duty in Fallujah, through two years of intensive rehabilitation, and ultimately to his job as the community spokesman for the Indianapolis Colts. Readers will be inspired by his undying enthusiasm, infectious joy, and sense of humor as he shares his message of going forward, one step at a time.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
7 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 30, 2015
One Step at a Time: A Young Marine's Story of Courage, Hope and a New Life in the NFL isn't my typical read, but it was recommended to me as a possible gift idea for my dad, who isn't a big reader but who occasionally likes the random book. Since my dad is a Colts fan, and is a lifelong Hoosier (as is author Josh Bleill), I thought he might indeed like it, so I ordered it (and of course read it first myself!).
I'm glad I did; I really, really enjoyed this book. We meet Josh as he joins the Marines in his late 20s, inspired by 9/11. He heads to Iraq, but is only there 2 weeks before an explosive device goes off beneath his humvee. Two of his mates are killed, and he is severely injured, most notably losing both legs above the knee.
Josh writes about the Marine Corps motto, "adapt and overcome." As he writes, "If your gun jams during a firefight, you can panic and scream, 'Oh my gosh! Why would my gun jam at a time like this?!' Or you can say, 'My gun's jammed, I better tear it apart, unjam it, then put it back together.' ... Accept whatever situation in which you find yourself, and overcome by finding a way to achieve your goals in this new, unforeseen set of circumstances."
You know, I'm obviously not a Marine, but I had a grandpa who was one, and I think a bit of that philosophy has trickled down to me. I like it -- it's practical, and I think it's a good way to face life for any of us: adapt and overcome.
I found this book well-written: I enjoyed hearing about Josh's experience in basic training and then in Fallujah, Iraq. He described his injuries and recovery in a manner that I found interesting without dragging on or becoming overdone. Josh's positive attitude really came through, and I found myself rooting for him.
Josh tells us that another Marine "thing" is to leave any place better than you found it. With this book, and now with his job as a motivational speaker for the Colts, he is doing just that. I recommend this book to anyone, and especially maybe for that guy on your list who's a reluctant reader.
I'm glad I did; I really, really enjoyed this book. We meet Josh as he joins the Marines in his late 20s, inspired by 9/11. He heads to Iraq, but is only there 2 weeks before an explosive device goes off beneath his humvee. Two of his mates are killed, and he is severely injured, most notably losing both legs above the knee.
Josh writes about the Marine Corps motto, "adapt and overcome." As he writes, "If your gun jams during a firefight, you can panic and scream, 'Oh my gosh! Why would my gun jam at a time like this?!' Or you can say, 'My gun's jammed, I better tear it apart, unjam it, then put it back together.' ... Accept whatever situation in which you find yourself, and overcome by finding a way to achieve your goals in this new, unforeseen set of circumstances."
You know, I'm obviously not a Marine, but I had a grandpa who was one, and I think a bit of that philosophy has trickled down to me. I like it -- it's practical, and I think it's a good way to face life for any of us: adapt and overcome.
I found this book well-written: I enjoyed hearing about Josh's experience in basic training and then in Fallujah, Iraq. He described his injuries and recovery in a manner that I found interesting without dragging on or becoming overdone. Josh's positive attitude really came through, and I found myself rooting for him.
Josh tells us that another Marine "thing" is to leave any place better than you found it. With this book, and now with his job as a motivational speaker for the Colts, he is doing just that. I recommend this book to anyone, and especially maybe for that guy on your list who's a reluctant reader.
September 11, 2012
One Step At a time tells the fenominal story about a young marine who had lost his two legs when a bomb had deployed in his teams humvy. I have given this is no doubt five star, I feel that this book gave me alot of inspiration, and sets an amazing example of how far thinking positive can take you. " I knew i couldnt give when i was at my weakest point, i knew i could get through this" this quote really caught my eye, it was amazing ot read that this young marine is going through this much pain and still thinking positive. My dad was a marine, so i get to hear all of the same similar stories that i read about in 'One Step At A Time". I recommend this book to anyone, the books sets an amazing of example of how to acomplish the goals you want to acomplish in your life.
October 24, 2014
One Step at a Time is a great motivational book. It takes you on the journey of a wounded soldier ,Josh Bleill, and his path to recovery. I recommend it because it shows the psychological and physical battles that American soldiers have to go through. It is not really a war book as much as it is a motivational book. Also, there are lots of life lessons throughout the book. The narrator in the book is from Indiana, so there are lots of parts in the book that can be related to.
February 11, 2025
The story is very motivational, so it makes sense the author Josh Bleill (note, this is a memoir written with a professional writer) has made this part of his career, he is very gifted at it. I kind of got the sense that is just his nature, given his work prior to enlisting, and his being used by the public affairs officer at Walter Reed as a “go to” patient when reporters showed up.
The author relates his story quite well, from his rural Indiana upbringing, love of God, basketball, family, and the Colts. Then to recounting his floundering post high school, spending over four years at Purdue and IUPUI but leaving without obtaining a degree. Followed up with work for an insurance company as a recruiter which left him unfullfilled, especially after 9/11. The son of a Marine, he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves. The story briefely covers his enlistment, early training, and subsequent call up in 2006 to active duty for service in Iraq before getting to the heart of the story; his trumatic injury in Iraq which included the deaths of two fellow Marines, close friends, and severe injury to another. His recovery and struggle to find himself is covered very well, it is nothing short of inspiring while the author is frank regarding his very personal experience, including moments of rage and self-pity. But its clear his positive mindset helped him through this, leading to him walking again and finding his true calling.
The only weakness in the book is the writing style. The book was written with a professional writer, an experienced one per his bio at the end, so its surprising how clunky the writing felt. Very poor transitions, it just didn’t flow well. It almost felt like the author had written in one setting his story of everything that happened, or filled out a sheet of questions, then the professional writer crafted this book based on those responses rather than from a close collaboration, without revising and restructuring it for flow. I’ve seen this in other military memoirs written with a professional, vs those written by the author themselves. You can’t really get around this however, unless the author themselves is a writer which is rare. There are also several editing misses, and several instances where I suspect there was a miscommunication between the author and professional writer, where the writer didn’t understand military jargon or perhaps changed it thinking it didn’t matter.
That said, the dry clunky writing is overcome by the unique and inspiring story. The story is a 5/5, it was real, it was inspiring, but the book is a 4/5.
The author relates his story quite well, from his rural Indiana upbringing, love of God, basketball, family, and the Colts. Then to recounting his floundering post high school, spending over four years at Purdue and IUPUI but leaving without obtaining a degree. Followed up with work for an insurance company as a recruiter which left him unfullfilled, especially after 9/11. The son of a Marine, he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves. The story briefely covers his enlistment, early training, and subsequent call up in 2006 to active duty for service in Iraq before getting to the heart of the story; his trumatic injury in Iraq which included the deaths of two fellow Marines, close friends, and severe injury to another. His recovery and struggle to find himself is covered very well, it is nothing short of inspiring while the author is frank regarding his very personal experience, including moments of rage and self-pity. But its clear his positive mindset helped him through this, leading to him walking again and finding his true calling.
The only weakness in the book is the writing style. The book was written with a professional writer, an experienced one per his bio at the end, so its surprising how clunky the writing felt. Very poor transitions, it just didn’t flow well. It almost felt like the author had written in one setting his story of everything that happened, or filled out a sheet of questions, then the professional writer crafted this book based on those responses rather than from a close collaboration, without revising and restructuring it for flow. I’ve seen this in other military memoirs written with a professional, vs those written by the author themselves. You can’t really get around this however, unless the author themselves is a writer which is rare. There are also several editing misses, and several instances where I suspect there was a miscommunication between the author and professional writer, where the writer didn’t understand military jargon or perhaps changed it thinking it didn’t matter.
That said, the dry clunky writing is overcome by the unique and inspiring story. The story is a 5/5, it was real, it was inspiring, but the book is a 4/5.
September 23, 2019
The book was really good and in the end he was able to get his dream job. He ended up working for the Indianapolis colts. He got married and even had a kid, this shows that things happen and you can fight through them.
August 17, 2019
An inspiring book after hearing him speak as well.
August 23, 2019
Very powerful story.
June 2, 2012
Published in 2010 by Triumph Books
In a sentence, this book is about a 27 year-old Hoosier who joins the Marines, loses his leg due to an explosion in Iraq, re-builds his life and gets a job with the Indianapolis Colts as a community spokesman.
All true but the book is so much more than that because Bleill makes his story resonate with the reader.
Josh Bleill joined the Marines at age 26. He never quite finished college. He never quite got serious with his girlfriend. He never quite got serious about his career. He just never quite going with much of anything until he decided to join the Marines, much to the surprise of his family (and to the dismay of his mother)...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
In a sentence, this book is about a 27 year-old Hoosier who joins the Marines, loses his leg due to an explosion in Iraq, re-builds his life and gets a job with the Indianapolis Colts as a community spokesman.
All true but the book is so much more than that because Bleill makes his story resonate with the reader.
Josh Bleill joined the Marines at age 26. He never quite finished college. He never quite got serious with his girlfriend. He never quite got serious about his career. He just never quite going with much of anything until he decided to join the Marines, much to the surprise of his family (and to the dismay of his mother)...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
November 8, 2011
This is a great book to read if you're seeking to understand what it's like for a soldier returning from war. It addresses the physical but also psychological challenges they face. It was humbling for me to read, considering I work with veterans everyday. Sometimes it can be very easy to forget how much they have gone through and what a difficult transition it is to return to their previous life. Josh uses humor and I really enjoyed his honesty about the dark days he went through and about struggling with self-pity. It was a good reminder about living everyday to the fullest and being thankful for what you have. I'm pleased that he is now working to make a difference in the lives of others.
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November 16, 2011 The memoir One step at a Time is an inspiring story about a wounded Marine's life to recovery when he gets severally injured in Fellujah, Iraq. Josh Bleil was hurt and suffered the amputation of both legs above the knee(AK). He tells about the changes and adgustment he has to make to get used to his new life.
I would definitely recommend this book. My dad was injured in Afghanistan and i would always think i can't do this anymore. but when i read this book i though "If a man with no legs can go through even more and not complain then why can't I?" it just gave me that extra push I needed at that time.
I would definitely recommend this book. My dad was injured in Afghanistan and i would always think i can't do this anymore. but when i read this book i though "If a man with no legs can go through even more and not complain then why can't I?" it just gave me that extra push I needed at that time.
February 26, 2012
I enjoyed the book. He is coming to speak to my volunteers next month, so I wanted to read it before he came. I cried alot, but I'm a crier... so take that for what it is. I thought it was generally well written (but the editor could have done better, several sentences were missing words) and easy to read. It told Bleill's story without getting bogged down in his injuries or sounding too much like a PR piece for the Colts. I can't imagine facing what he has dealt with and I thought the book was a good overall representation of that.
August 28, 2011
What an inspirational story, Josh really makes you feel like you are right there inside of him seeing, feeling and doing things and he doesn't leave out the darker days he deals with. Actually enjoyed the boot camp part since my youngest is a Marine and he too went to San Diego and I had the chance to go there to encourage him to get past his knee injury and a few weeks later he was graduating! I can fully understand the pride a Marine has like Josh mentions, they go through hell in boot camp!
August 1, 2014
I should be impressed by Josh Bleill story, and I AM, but this book leaves much to be desired.
It reads like a dictionary, dry, with definitions every two lines. Marine terminology have been sprinkled on the pages with a heavy hand. If you've never been in the Marines, you cannot understand the book without the definition. If you've been in the Marines, the countless definitions will bore you.
This book was short, but dragged on. I did not enjoy it.
It reads like a dictionary, dry, with definitions every two lines. Marine terminology have been sprinkled on the pages with a heavy hand. If you've never been in the Marines, you cannot understand the book without the definition. If you've been in the Marines, the countless definitions will bore you.
This book was short, but dragged on. I did not enjoy it.
July 21, 2011
This is an honest, touching story about a young man who is injured in Iraq and how he chooses to live his life. This is a story of courage, hope and hard work and the phrase Marines live by "adapt and overcome." Read it and you'll be reminded not to sweat the small stuff. You'll also be reminded to thank the men and women of the military and their families.
October 20, 2013
I feel bad for scoring the book so low... it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic. The author is so sporadic that he'll jump across huge time gaps and you won't even realize it. Also, it's extremely repetitive. You'll hear the same statement/story like 10 times and it just gets old. But it did have a good message behind it! Not bad as far as non-fiction titles go.
February 26, 2011
My first read of the New Year and it was awesome. Another vet whose life was changed in a matter of seconds...doing what he was trained to do...protect our Freedom. Josh will make you laugh, cry and salute the men and women who serve in our military. OOOHH RAAAYY to Josh.
June 19, 2011
This is one of the best inspirational books I've read. He truly incorporates the Marine motto "adapt and overcome" to the challenges he faced after being severely wounded in Iraq. I'm proud that the Colts hired him once he left Walter Reed hospital and came back home to resume his life in Indiana.
August 12, 2012
I was stunned at how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The fact that I know the whole story and the family, made the journey more enjoyable. The story kept my attention and was hard to put down.
WELL DONE, Josh!
WELL DONE, Josh!
February 23, 2011
Great book!
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April 4, 2011amazing story
January 2, 2014
An inspirational read!
February 27, 2013
Well written. Very inspirational story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
August 26, 2013
This is a perfect book for Hoosiers, Indianapolis Colts fans, all American citizens, believers, doubters, hawks, doves, parents and teenagers. --Indiana High School Librarian
July 16, 2015
Challenge: A book based on a true story
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August 20, 2016I think all U.S. citizens and those who want to became citizens should have to read this book, because freedom is not free!
January 25, 2011
Great story about a courageous young soldier.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews