I have read
several books about Navy Seals and their exploits. Eric Blehm tells the story
of Adam Brown from a more personal perspective than some of the other books. It
is a testimony to Adam Brown and his family to want all of the good, the bad
and the ugly of Adam's life revealed. This is not the story of a perfect
Christian boy grown into a hero. It is a story of a man and his family
overcoming what could have been tragic circumstances in his life.
Adam earned his
fearless reputation as a small boy daredevil. That reputation followed him
through high school. He took a wrong turn after high school by getting involved
with drugs and progressing to the hardest forms of crack cocaine. His family
stuck by him and tried every intervention possible to no avail. Adam's father
had him arrested and put into jail. After a jailhouse conversion to Christ,
Adam went into a Christian rehabilitation program. He made it through but was
not completely healed of his addiction. He met his future wife Kelley two months
after graduating from rehab. Kelley stuck with him as he had several relapses.
Finally, Adam escaped from his familiar drug hangouts and went to a friend in
Texas. He convinced Kelley to marry him. The father of a childhood friend
helped him get into the Navy Seal program in spite of his past record.
Adam and Kelley
endured many trials as Adam successfully completed his SEAL training and
further exploits in the SEAL program. Adam overcame a debilitating eye injury
in one accident and a hand injury in another. Adam's story is one of
unbelievable bravery and perseverance in the line of duty. His is also the
story of a devoted husband and father at home and a compassionate man in the
field. Adam had his family at home collect shoes to give to Afghan children in
the winter. Adam ultimately died a hero's death in Afghanistan. He was received
back with a hero's welcome in his beloved state of Arkansas. Adam's family,
friends, teammates and our nation were impacted positively by his actions in
life and by the telling of his story after his death. Another sad fact is that
many of the brave men interviewed for this book were later killed in action as
well.
This story is a
compelling and inspiring account of bravery and a great testament to Adam's
favorite scripture "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me" (Phil 4:13, NKJV).
Although the
language is much less graphic than in "Lone Survivor" there is some
profanity. The few occurrences of these could have been omitted without
adversely affecting the quality of the story. I realize the culture of the
military and the nature of high school kids, but this could have been left out.
I received this
book from Waterbrook Multnomah publishing in exchange for this review. This is
my honest opinion of the book. Rate my review at http://tinyurl.com/bzyct84
Fearless by Eric Blehm (Chapter 1 Excerpt)