Fearless (43 page)

Even with the knowledge that Adam truly was ready—body and soul—to give up his life in the line of duty, the final chapters of this book were heartrending to write. I knew what was coming, but I hoped for a different outcome … somehow.

Equally devastating and shockingly sudden was the loss of life on August 6, 2011, including Adam’s friends and teammates, several of whom had sat with me for hours to ensure that his story would be rich in detail, to illustrate—so I might convey to the world—just how special he had been. While describing Adam, they had unknowingly defined themselves: fearless in their own right, selfless, and not only willing but also proud to sacrifice their lives for the freedoms we enjoy every day.

Thank you, Adam Brown.

Thank you, Brian Bill, Chris Campbell, John Faas, Kevin Houston, Matt Mason, Tom Ratzlaff, and Heath Robinson.

Thank you, Kelley, Nathan, Savannah, Janice, Larry, Shawn and Tina Brown, and Manda and Jeremy Atkinson for your steadfast resolve to share Adam’s story and for trusting me to tell it.

Thank you, Rick Stewart, for your confidence and enthusiasm.

Thank you to the entire Naval Special Warfare community, and to those SEALs—both active duty and retired—and their wives who helped me navigate through Adam’s Naval career. Thank you to those in the Army battalion who spoke to me about Objective Lake James, as well as the individuals from the FBI, Special Forces, Marines, and OGA who provided insight into operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thank you, Steve Anderson, Thaddeus Bruce, Jeff Buschmann, Roger Buschmann, Chris Dunkel, Mike Glisson, Wayne Gray, Dick Holden, Kenneth Moore, Pastor Mike Smith, Heath Vance, Helen Webb, Ryan Whited, Curtis Williams, and Richard Williams for your candid interviews.

Thank you to everyone else who devoted time to making sure Adam’s story was told right.

Thank you, Bruce Nygren at Random House, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group: I cannot imagine a better editor for Adam’s story. Thank you to the rest of the dedicated team there, including Lori Addicott, Laura Barker, Ashley Boyer, Heather Brown, Steve Cobb, Carie Freimuth, Allison O’Hara, Renee Nyen, Kristopher Orr, Michael Palgon, Ken Petersen, Beverly Rykerd, Karen Sherry, and Laura Wright.

Thank you, Christy Fletcher, my longtime agent and friend, Melissa Chinchillo, Alyssa Wolff, and all of Fletcher & Co.

Thank you to Rita Samols, my tireless and meticulous copyeditor, and my researchers, Rebecca Edelston, Mike Hennessy, and Maxine Keene.

Thank you, Chris Adams, Matt Baglio, Nicole Buschmann, Rick Bychowski,
James Campbell, Amber Coutts, Craig and Kathy Cupp, Erika Daniels, Ed Darack, Brandy DeGlopper, Suzi Drennen, Lacey Duffy, Danny Fallis, Chaplain Bob Freiberg, Justin Geiger, Dan Green, Kurt Johnstad, Alyssa Lair, Christy Lewis, Scooter Leonard, Alison Margo, Kevin McMillan, Rob Olive, Richard Oesterheld, Wilson Phillips, Carlos Royal, Joy Sheppard, Anthony Sitz, Madison Tybroski, Mike Weaver, Ryan Welch, Janet Wendle, and Colter Wilhoite.

Thank you to my ever-supportive and patient family and friends.

Thank you to my wife, editor, and best friend, Lorien, for always making me look good. And thank you to our incredible children for reminding me what’s important in life.

This information was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.