Review: Brothers Forever by Tom Sileo and Col. Tom Manion (Belinda’s review)

Brothers Forever
written by Tom Sileo and Col. Tom Manion
published by Da Capo Press: A member of the Perseus Books Group

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: This book is both inspirational and heartbreaking. It should be mandatory reading for every freedom-loving American. Brothers Forever shows us the meaning of the saying “freedom isn’t free.”

This is a story of honor, family, patriotism, and sacrifice. For First Lieutenant Travis Manion and Lieutenant Brendan Looney, serving their country and protecting freedom is a passionate calling – one that costs both of them their lives.

My favorite part is when Brendan is on the phone with his wife who is feeling overwhelmed managing the finances, the dogs, and a full-time job. Brendan asks her, “Did anyone try to shoot you today?”

That really put life into perspective for me. The next time you want to complain about your country, government, job, or whatever, think about Travis and Brendan. Remember their heroism and sacrifice. And be grateful.

 

Would I recommend it: Absolutely. It should be mandatory reading for every freedom-loving American.

About the book – from Goodreads: Four weeks after Navy SEALs had killed Osama bin Laden, the President of the United States stood in Arlington National Cemetery. In his Memorial Day address, he extolled the courage and sacrifice of the two young men buried side by side in the graves before him: Travis Manion, a fallen US Marine, and Brendan Looney, a fallen US Navy SEAL. Although they were killed three years apart, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, these two best friends and former roommates were now buried together brothers forever.?

Award-winning journalist Tom Sileo and Travis’s father, former Marine colonel Tom Manion, tell the intimate and personal story of how these Naval Academy roommates defined a generation’s sacrifice after 9/11, and how Travis and Brendan’s loved ones overcame heartbreak to carry on in their memory. From Travis’s incredible heroism on the streets of Fallujah to Brendan’s anguished Navy SEAL training in the wake of his friend’s death and his own heroism in the mountains of Afghanistan, Brothers Forever is a remarkable story of friendship, family, and war.

About the author: Tom Sileo, co-author of Brothers Forever: The Enduring Bond Between a Marine and a Navy SEAL that Transcended Their Ultimate Sacrifice is an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist whose weekly newspaper column has been distributed by Creators Syndicate since 2011. He is a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow and lives in Marietta, Georgia.

About the author: Colonel Tom Manion, USMCR (Ret.), co-author of Brothers Forever: The Enduring Bond Between a Marine and a Navy SEAL that Transcended Their Ultimate Sacrifice, is the father of First Lieutenant Travis Manion. He started his career in the Marine Corps, retiring after thirty years at the rank of colonel. He is chairman emeritus at the Travis Manion Foundation and lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.