Vanessa M.’s Reviews > American Soldier > Status Update

General Franks's mother-in-law, Gaynelle, took care of his mother and was with her when she passed from cancer. "I recognized again that the bond of love extended past the ties of blood." This concept has been on my heart for many years. The family umbrella encompasses not only blood family but found family, chosen family, blended families, etc. These connections and relationships are vitally important.

I'm bonding with this memoir more than I'd ever imagined. I've just come off a crying jag after reading about the death of General Franks's father. I enjoyed reading about his career and time in Vietnam and Germany. I'm to Operation Desert Shield, looking at Google Maps to get a better sense of Kuwait's placement bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

I'm not too comfortable yet reading GWOT (Global War on Terror) history materials as the timing is too close to present-day. However, a library weed copy of General Franks's book became available and I'm reading it as a bio more so than a military history.