"I'm not a celebrity. I'm not a politician. I'm not a billionaire. I'm an ordinary American whose life was shaped by decisions. This isn't a book about war. It's a book about the decisions that shape every life. Mine just happened to include combat, a Purple Heart, military command, service in the Pentagon, and twenty-six years in uniform."

In the first ten seconds, readers will white-knuckle their armchairs as they meet a man who was hit in the head by an enemy rocket and walked away.

Contemporary American culture expects those who are traumatized to step away from the world. Combat veterans are portrayed as addicts, alcoholics, and dysfunctional in personal and professional relationships. Russell Smith was determined to be precisely the opposite. The combat-wounded veteran shares a gripping account of resilience and courage. This is a memoir about character, with the military serving as the backdrop rather than the destination.

Why is this memoir different from other military memoirs?

This isn't simply a war story. At its heart, it's the story of how every major decision—from childhood through combat and beyond—shaped one ordinary American into an extraordinary leader.

Decisions examines how choices made in hearing rooms, briefing books, and committee markups shape the lives of service members long after the headlines have faded. Faith played no small role in carrying Smith to a place of emotional and spiritual steadiness, particularly as a husband and a girl-dad.

Smith offers an unfiltered account of hardship, honor, failure, redemption, and resilience. From abuse at the hands of his adoptive parents to combat wounds in Iraq and a second career as an educator, he shares hard-earned lessons with honesty, humor, and humility, offering a candid look at his battles with PTSD and the personal and familial impacts.

Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.

Learn more about Russell A. Smith at decisionsmiddleclass.com