Always My Hero: The Road to Hope & Healing Following My Brother's Death in Afghanistan

by Renee Nickell

Overview

Always My Hero is the inspirational true story about a young woman whose Marine brother is tragically killed in action. She must fight her way through grief, come to terms with the estrangement of her father and face her past or risk losing everything.

Her world came crashing down when she got the call saying her brother had been killed.

Major Samuel Griffith, a Marine Corps Officer, was fiercely dedicated to becoming an F-18 aviator, he embodied perseverance and grit. Sam led his men with wisdom beyond his years. He was truly living the dream. Sam's 3^rddeployment, he was serving a ground tour as a Forward Air Controller. One tragic day, he observed one of his Marines under heavy fire, switching places with him. This tragic decision cost Sam his life, but saved his entire team.

His surviving sister, Renee, quickly realized as a new Gold Star sister, that siblings are often the "forgotten mourners," and had to fight through PTSD with virtually no support or community. As a result, Renee was compelled to share her honest, raw, and at times gut-wrenching account of what it was like losing a sibling to war, while giving others an inside glimpse into the devastation a military family endures for the cost of freedom.

Always My Hero has been featured on FOX News, The 700 Club, The Hallmark Channel, SOFREP Radio and many other media outlets. Writer's Digest calls this book "honest and relatable, great beauty and depth."

Renee takes you on a nostalgic journey through their childhood and how Sam grew into an American hero. This extraordinary memoir will have you laughing one moment and moved to tears the next. Get to know Sam and the amazing Marine he was through the eyes of his sister and fellow servicemen and discover how to exchange sorrow for strength so you can crawl out of the trenches of despair and finally find...hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947279483
Publisher:	Renee Nickell
Publication date:	07/04/2018
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.01(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Renee Nickell, a Gold Star Sibling, penned her first non-fiction memoir Always My Hero after her beloved brother, a Marine Corps Officer, was killed in action. She is a devoted military wife, mother of four, and supporter of military service members and families, especially Gold Star families. Renee's mission is to inspire others who have experienced loss of a family member to overcome the pain and trials and find hope and healing.

Table of Contents

Foreword 13

Introduction 17

Chapter 1 Our Childhood 25

Chapter 2 Journey to the Marines 51

Chapter 3 Wings Were Made to Fly 67

Chapter 4 Hanging Up His Flight Suit 87

Chapter 5 Assignment Afghanistan 101

Chapter 6 Operation Enduring Freedom 115

Chapter 7 The Immediate Aftermath 127

Chapter 8 Year One 151

Chapter 9 The Hard Stuff 159

Chapter 10 The Overlooked Grief 175

Chapter 11 Where I Go, There You Are 191

Chapter 12 Journey to Healing 207

Chapter 13 Moving Forward 229

Chapter 14 Called to Write 251

Resources 283

About the Author 285

Works Citied 287

Editorial Reviews

““Sam is almost home. I need each of you to hear me. What is about to happen will be the worst day of your life.”

Renee Nickell’s tribute to her brother, Sam, a fallen Marine Corps Major, gives us a rare glimpse into the searing pain so many families have borne since the War on Terror began in 2001. With raw emotion, Renee shares unvarnished accounts of a family both torn and united by the loss of a beloved brother and son.”

— Lynn Vincent, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A United States Marine Corps Elite Fighter Pilot was killed not in a aerial dogfight at 500 mph, but in action on the ground fighting in a Combat Mission. Major Samuel Mark Griffith’s. ‘War Hero.’ The word ‘Hero’ is not too strong a word for Sam, but you’d never know Sam’s extraordinary story of a life beautifully lived had Renée Nickell, Sam’s loving Sister not gone through the gut wrenching task of lovingly writing the book you now hold in your hand. This is a compelling real life story. The real extraordinary life of USMC Major Samuel M. Griffith. Marine. War Hero. Son. Brother. Friend. ”

— Rev. Dr. Shawn Michael Greener, "The Ninja Pastor", National Speaker, and Author

“So often we think about the Moms, Dads, Spouses, and Children left behind from those who have made that ultimate sacrifice. But, do we really think about those who can be thought of as the “forgotten mourners”, the Brothers and Sisters of those who made the last full measure of devotion? There is a bond between Siblings and when one is lost, it can have a very damaging effect of the surviving sibling who will forever be separated from their blood buddy, with whom they have shared countless memories.”

—Lt Col Allen B. West (Ret.) Exceprt from Always My Hero: The Road to Hope $ Healing Following My Brother's Death in Afghanistan "Foreword"

From the Publisher