Worth Dying For

I received a free copy of Worth Dying For by Rorke Denver and Ellis Henican in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I express are my own.

I have a ton of respect toward the men and women who serve in our Military. I have known and know of many people who have served from World War II, The Korean War, Vietnam, and the Iraqi war. My best friend joined the army right after we graduated from high school in 1993 until her discharge in 1996 during peace time. I know the dedication, hard work it takes to be in the arm forces. I have also seen the implications of war and what our military men and women have done. My German teacher in high school was in a concentration camp during the World War II era when she was a young child and was thankful for The Americans for their fight to save her and her family. I have also seen how we take care of our veterans, we don’t do that great of a job. I have seen the complicated VA services for the men and women. It’s terrible. Because of my family history of serving our country I was interested in reading Rorke Denver’s book Worth Dying For. Even though I knew the dedication, hard work, and commitment it takes to be a Seal. This book explained the process in much greater detail. I am even more grateful for the men and women who served or are serving or who want to serve our country.

Here are some things that I took away from reading Worth Dying For:

1. Heroes are never perfect. They are no God’s, they are imperfect human beings like the rest of us.
2. To be successful takes many pathways. Meaning to reach a goal there is going to be several pathways you are going to take. Some will only get you so far before you are going to have to change your route to meet your goal. I think that is true for me as I am journeying through my illness. Something I am going to have to work on to reach my wellness goals.
3. Do things that challenge you. To me this means building up the change muscle. Life changes in an instant and you have to adapt. It’s hard. No one likes doing it, but staying focus on the goals helps.
4. Leaders do not hold themselves above those they lead. To me that means those who are being lead need to stop putting people on a peddle stool too. Being humble, being respectful, and be open to learning is something I value in a leader. I always have.
5. Accept the risks that are out there because of the fight for a bigger cause. Sometimes the fight of your life isn’t about your own goals or you. It could be about the community, your family, your team.
6. Treat Vets right. My dad serves during the Korean War, my uncle served in World War II, my neighbor served in the Vietnam war, and my nephew did two tours in the Iraqi war with Bush Jr. I have noticed that the medical system for VA’s and even the system for them to go back to school is set up to irritate and not made easy. There are long waiting lists, and they have to wait for approvals to even go to the emergency room. It doesn’t make sense to me. I think it should be made easier for them. That is my opinion.
7. Be willing to listen to the opinions of others even if they don’t match your own. You might learn something. You might make an awesome comrade.