A heartfelt, deeply evocative and
emotionally resonant true story of the first American killed in the
Iraq War — a stirring tale behind the complex, fascinating life
of a hero marine
On March 21, 2003, while leading a rifle platoon into
combat, Marine Lieutenant Shane Childers became the first combat
fatality of the Iraq War. In this gripping, beautifully written
personal history, award-winning writer Rinker Buck chronicles Shane's
death and his life, exploring its meaning for his family, his fellow
soldiers, and the country itself. The gathering of the family for his
burial on a remote Wyoming ranch has all the elements of a classic
American tale.
From childhood, Shane emulated the ferocious energy and
commitment demonstrated by his father, a veteran of two tours in
Vietnam and who was taken hostage as a navy Seabee at the American
embassy in Tehran. Choosing the military, this relentlessly competitive
young marine built one of the most exemplary military careers of his
generation — becoming a Gulf War veteran at the age of eighteen,
a marine security guard in Europe and Africa in his early twenties, a
dean's list student at The Citadel, and so valued a platoon leader that
he was among the first sent over the berm into Iraq in 2003. A
fascinatingly enigmatic character — fierce, compulsive, dedicated
— he was also a madcap adventure lover with a deep concern for
the world around him.
Shane
Comes Home is the story of this intelligent, gifted soldier who
embodied the soul of today's all-volunteer warrior class; of the town
of Powell, Wyoming, which had taken Shane into its heart in the same
way he had adopted the mountains and vistas of its surrounding areas
into his own; and of the marine detail sent to deliver the news to the
Childers family and the extraordinary connection that formed between
them.
At once an inspiring account of commitment to the
military and a moving story of family and devotion, Shane
Comes Home rises above politics and captures the life of an
extraordinary young man who came to symbolize the heart of America
during a difficult time. An invaluable record of our nation's changing
attitudes toward the military and those who serve, it is a thoughtful
tribute to a man whose sacrifice touches us all.
Synopsis:
On March 21, 2003, Marine Lieutenant
Shane Childers became the first combat fatality of the Iraq War. In
this gripping, beautifully written personal history, award-winning
writer Rinker Buck chronicles Shane's death and his life, exploring its
meaning for his family, his fellow soldiers and the country itself.
Choosing the military, this relentlessly competitive young Marine built
one of the most legendary military careers of his generation ? becoming
a Gulf War veteran at age 18; a Marine Security Guard in Europe and
Africa by his early twenties; a dean's list student at The Citadel; and
then so valued as a platoon leader that he was among the first sent
over the berm into Iraq in 2003. Shane Comes Home is the story of this
intelligent, gifted soldier who embodied the soul of today's
all-volunteer warrior class, but it is also about the town of Powell,
Wyoming that had taken Shane into their hearts. It is also about the
Marine detail sent to deliver the news to the Childers fami
About the Author
Rinker Buck is a staff writer for the
Hartford Courant and a former reporter for New York magazine,
Life, and many other national publications. The
article that launched this book won the Eugene S. Pulliam National
Journalism Writing Award and the Society of Professional Journalists
Sigma Delta Chi Award. He is the author of the acclaimed Flight
of Passage and First
Job and lives in northwest Connecticut.
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