Book Overview

Preface

Following the Virginia Tech massacre on April 16, 2007, I could no longer sit back and watch the news, wondering why no one saw this coming in time to prevent such a tragedy. This is not about pointing fingers. Instead, I want us all to be more vigilant and to reach out to our friends, family,
fellow military personnel, classmates, colleagues, and other members of our community. I want to share life skills to help you survive and thrive as a student, as a young man, and as a career professional. Americans, particularly young Americans, can no longer afford to believe that if they just keep to themselves, all will be well. I grew up on the Eastern Shore, Maryland, where we truly believed in the notion that it took a village to raise a child. My siblings and I knew that if we were getting into trouble two houses or two blocks or even two miles from home, our mother, who single-handedly reared us, would find out by the time we made it home. Why? Because the entire community helped raise us, and they felt it was their right and duty to intervene on the spot, picking up the phone and calling our parents. Some would actually drive to our home to report an incident. As I grew older, I came to appreciate that degree of vigilance. I believe that America needs to get back to that sense of community. It is not just a political statement but a proactive way to help save lives both figuratively and literally. We have students of all ages facing dangerous issues that are at an epic level. We have military veterans with posttraumatic stress syndrome at record levels. And we have young professionals who are multitasking like never before due to the cost of living and the overall demands on life. The need for fresh, new ways to survive and thrive has never been so mission critical. The battle has been waged, and now I want to help you to be victorious in your quest for a positive and meaningful life.

Armed & Ready . . . to Live is my modern day way of reaching out to all communities to help save lives one person at a time. From my fellow veterans of war to all the guys punching the clock or running the show, and, most importantly, to all the students at every level, this book was written for you, about you, and because of you. This is for the thousands of families suffering from the impact of Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This is also my response to the wave of school tragedies like Virginia Tech and Illinois University and all those that came before and since, because I could no longer sit back and watch in dismay and frustration. I had to stand up and take action in the only way I knew how. I made a mission to introduce myself to strangers everywhere I went to get them talking about their life, their goals, and their emotional and mental state of being. Additionally, I decided to write a book in response to the Virginia Tech tragedy in hopes that it would save someone’s life. My audience is everyone who is looking for answers. More specifically, Armed & Ready... to Live is geared directly toward young males and adult men dealing with problems of anger, frustration, bullying, lack of self-confidence, anxiety, abandonment, depression, or other issues. I pray that this book gets boys, teens, and men talking and opening up to each other like never before.