For Veterans Day

At a recent meeting between FamilyLife® and the Military Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ we were informed how we could work together for maximum impact. Much of what was shared focused on how our ministry could best interact with the Military Ministry and Chaplains to encourage and strengthen marriages. We were exposed to a variety of facts that play into the destruction of marriages of military couples. To name a few… long separations, uncertainty of the spouse’s return from the war zone, posttraumatic shock syndrome.

We were recommended some reading materials, one of which was Joker one: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, leadership, and Brotherhood written by Donovan Campbell and published by Random House. A great read.

The major take away from this book for me was that leadership is learned and earned. The story tells of great courage and leadership...
 both by Lieut. Campbell and the NCOs in his platoon. A key underlying theme of leadership I noticed throughout was the "mentoring" that took place both up and down the chain of command.

This is also one of the better books I have read that clearly demonstrates the utter chaos of the battlefield. We often hear about the "fog of war". The situation in Iraq as described in this book brings home this metaphor very clearly.

A note of caution -- there are some graphic portrayals of the actualities of war which can be emotionally challenging. But then again this is a story about war.

Thank you Donovan Campbell for your service to our country and insights from your book!