Fearless is the life story of Adam Brown, a member of the Navy Seal Team SIX who gave his life in Afghanistan a year before his team participated in the successful raid against Osama bin Laden’s compound which resulted in the terrorist’s death. At the request of his family and his surviving team members, this is a full biography, starting back with how his parents met and his rather boisterous childhood – complete with jumping off bridges. Along the way, his life was derailed by drugs, but between God, his parents, his wife, and the Navy, he pulled himself up by the boot straps and hit the deck plates running.

In the early chapters of this book, I found myself wondering why it had been written. So many of our service men and women have given their lives over the years, and the story of Adam Brown, while inspiring, seemed an odd one to single out. Yet toward the end of the book, I began to realize that the book had been written not to commemorate a certain glorious deed on the battlefield, but to honor a life well lived. This man laid down his life in a foreign country for our sake, leaving a young wife and children behind. His family and his teammates have chosen to honor his memory by sharing with us this chance to know an amazing man we will never have the ability to meet on this earth. Instead of laying a wreath on his tomb, we can express our gratitude for his sacrifice by learning and growing from his story.

And perhaps it remains a little strange that one soldier has been singled out. And perhaps we have a need for many more books like this one. But for now, it is a poignant reminder that behind every name on the news was a smiling child who grew into an individual with the courage and the grace to lay down their life for us.

Find out more and leave a message for the Browns at: http://fearlessnavyseal.com/

My thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah for providing me with a copy of Fearless, in return for my honest opinion of the book.