Among Heroes: A U.S. Navy SEAL's True Story of Friendship, Heroism, and the Ultimate Sacrifice (26 page)

At one point in our crazy death-defying cross-country trip in 2005, after we’d lost communications and visibility and the plane’s wings were starting to ice up, Glen turned to me, laughed, and said, “Hey, at least we’ve got each other.”

Courtesy of Kate Quigley

The Doherty clan—Glen, Kate, and Greg—knew how to have good times together and did so every chance they got.

Courtesy of Kate Quigley

Long after we’d both been through the teams, Glen and I were still constantly hanging out together—especially if it involved the outdoors. Here we are getting ready for a one-and-a-half-mile swim event in 2011.

Courtesy of Brandon Webb

Glen and I had a blast together with fans at a book-signing event in Times Square, New York City, August 2012. It was the last time I saw him. A few weeks later he was killed in Benghazi.

Courtesy of Kate Quigley

Instinctively I knew this was a story that needed to be told, but the telling proved to be more challenging than I expected. Writing is normally a fairly straightforward process for me; a story wants out, and it pours itself onto the page. Not so with this book. It was surprisingly tough to work out just how to shape my experiences and memories of these great men into a positive narrative that others could learn from and take inspiration from, and not simply a chronicle of tragedy and loss. My writing partner, John David Mann, and I anguished for months over the best way to proceed. John, I’m forever in your debt for sticking with me during this difficult journey. It was worth it!

John and I also owe a huge thank-you to Brent Howard, our editor at New American Library. You went out on a limb for us after our manuscript had a rough start. Your support, thinking, and contribution have been extremely valuable, and we have a better book because of it. Our thanks also to Kara Welsh, our publisher, for believing so strongly in this book; to Pete Garceau for that incredibly powerful cover design; to copy editor Tiffany Yates, for your perceptive and sensitive
touch; and to Christina Brower, for too many assists to count. And another huge thank-you to our literary agent, Margret McBride, for connecting us in the first place and seeing this project through.

This book is dedicated to the families who raised the remarkable men described in these pages. It was your love and unwavering support that forged these modern-day American heroes. You stood ready to give your all, and did so bravely, proudly, and without bitterness, despite the depth of your losses. John and I especially want to thank those family members who graciously shared your time and memories with us, willingly opening old wounds and sharing your private pain so that we could bring these stories to life. (Fortunately that pain is intermingled with lasting joy, love, and hilarity; there were plenty of laughs mixed in with the tears in those interviews.) Thank you to Michael and Peggy Bearden, Wendy Bearden, Derenda Fugate, Jack and Maggie Scott, Kat Colvert, Donna Axelson, Cindy Oji, Michael Zinn and Jackie Zinn, Cindy Campbell, Debora Coxe, Kathy Tumilson, Joy (née Tumilson) McMeekan, Kate (née Doherty) Quigley, Greg Doherty, and Barbara Doherty.

And thank you to the friends and teammates who did the same, climbing on the phone in the midst of hectic schedules to help us bring these memories to life: Walt Anderson, DeVere Crooks, Eric Davis, Elf Ellefson, Josh Emrick, Dave Fernandez, Lee Ferran, Ron Griffin, Randy Kelley, Sean Lake, Travis Lively, Mike Ritland, Dave Rutherford, and Clint Smith.

I also want to thank my own family for their unwavering support in this process: Thank you to my mother, Lynn, for your honesty and incredible support. Thank you to my
father, Jack; you were a major influence in my decision to enlist in the Navy and, ultimately, to join the SEALs. Thank you to my sister, Maryke, for agreeing to take on the major task of running the Red Circle Foundation. I had no idea how tough the nonprofit world is. It’s such a relief to be able to trust someone so completely to always do the right thing, no matter what the situation.

Thank you to my incredible children, who continue to amaze me every day. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of the three of you and of how lucky I am to be present in your lives. You may not know it yet, but you serve as my inspiration to improve myself and push beyond what I think is possible in my own life.

Finally, my never-ending thanks to Mike Bearden, Dave Scott, Matt Axelson, John Zinn, Chris Campbell, Heath Robinson, JT Tumilson, Glen Doherty, Chris Kyle, and the many other brothers not written about here who likewise laid down your lives so that the rest of us might sleep more peacefully in our beds at night. You are sorely missed, but never forgotten.

To borrow that once again from the late, great Hunter S. Thompson: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn-out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride!’”

When I skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke myself, I look forward to seeing
all
your smiling faces.

See you all on the other side,
gents.

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