Overview

""This journal was once a gift to our young sons. It is now a gift to anyone who cares to read it."" When Major Mark Hertling deployed to Iraq in 1990 as the operations officer of an armored cavalry squadron, his unit was told 50 percent of them would likely sustain casualties. To him, that meant he might not return home and may perhaps never see his family again. To prepare for that potential outcome, he began keeping a journal, hoping that one day, if he didn't return, his stories and wisdom would be passed to his young sons. In an army-issued green notebook, Mark began recording his thoughts and hopes for his boys. He wrote of character, leadership, camaraderie, battles, cultural differences, religion, love, fear, and the things he wanted his boys to know about him and his experiences. In unfiltered, handwritten entries, Hertling captured the reality of combat in Operation Desert Storm: the waiting and missions, the chaos and courage, the brotherhood and grief, and the lessons of duty and humanity forged in war. What began as a father's private messages became a rare chronicle of leadership and life in preparation for the crucible of battle. But he survived, returned home, and was able to watch his boys grow into men. Decades later, after both his sons became combat veterans themselves, one of them typed those original pages as a gift to his dad-to preserve the legacy for the family's next generation. In revisiting those original journal entries, Hertling-having been promoted, having served in various positions, and having returned to the battlefields of Iraq over the next two decades-added reflections drawn from his life. Reflecting on various military assignments, then his post-retirement jobs as a cable news analyst, health care executive, and professor of leadership, these journal entries now provide valuable lessons on character, leadership, and service. Part battlefield memoir, part father's journal, part meditation on the challenges of leadership, If I Don't Return is the story of a soldier who faced death, returned home, and continued to live a life of service.

Full Product Details

9781971678092

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Reviews

""As a division commander during Desert Storm, I saw firsthand the challenges young leaders faced as they prepared for battle. Mark Hertling's book brings that era back to life with honesty, humility, and extraordinary detail about lessons from both life and combat. This book captures the experience of war and the enduring values of leadership and character that define the American soldier, and it's a must-read for those who want to know more about our military."" -General Barry McCaffrey, former 24th Infantry Division Commander during Desert Storm, retired four-star general, and chief military analyst at MSNBC ""If I Don't Return is the story every soldier wants to tell but struggles to put into words. Deeply personal, incredibly moving, and storytelling at its finest! Mark Hertling has written a timeless tale of life as a soldier, a father, and a wartime leader, but this book is about more than combat-it is about how we face life's greatest challenges with faith, wisdom, and gratitude. Everyone who is searching will find something of value in this beautifully written narrative.""  -Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (retired), former commander of US Special Operations Command, former chancellor of The University of Texas System ""Mark Hertling is a natural storyteller. As my dear friend and colleague at CNN, he helped viewers make sense of military operations with clarity and compassion. In this book, he does something even more profound: He opens his private journal to show us the fears, hopes, and lessons of a soldier and a father. This book is moving, accessible, and unforgettable."" -Jamie Gangel, CNN special correspondent, Edward R. Murrow Award recipient ""Every great story rests on character, and General Mark Hertling's character leaps from these pages. With a novelist's eye for detail and a soldier's honesty, he brings to life the realities of war and the timeless questions of love, family, and duty. This is storytelling at its finest-personal, powerful, real, and profoundly human. This is a book everyone should read."" -Daniel Silva, New York Times best-selling author

Author Information

Lieutenant General (Retired) Mark Hertling served thirty-eight years in the US Army as a tanker and cavalryman while also spending thirty-eight months in combat in multiple roles: as a major in a cavalry squadron during Desert Storm; as an assistant division commander in the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad (2003-2004); and later as the commander of the 1st Armored Division in Northern Iraq (2007-2008). After retiring from the army, Mark became a senior vice president for a major health care organization and later became a professor of practice in strategic leadership at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College. He is an active public speaker on leadership, national security issues, and health care. From 2014 to 2024, Mark appeared as a military and national security analyst for CNN/CNN International. Today, he is a freelance analyst and writes extensively on national security and leadership issues for a variety of media outlets. His book If I Don't Return offers reflections of life and service based on a journal he wrote to his young sons during Desert Storm. Mark is married to his best friend, Sue. They have two sons, five grandsons, and two granddaughters.

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