Brothers Forever

March 24, 2014
Retired U.S. Marine Colonel Manion and Sileo, editor of The Unknown Soldiers blog, deliver the tragic tale of the former’s son Travis and Travis’s friend Brendan Looney, who met in 2001 when they served as midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. The men, both former football players, became best friends and roommates, although they eventually chose different military career paths: Manion joined the Marine Corps like his father; Looney opted to become a U.S. Navy SEAL. Travis Manion died on April 29, 2007, at age 26 ,while fighting in Iraq; Looney lost his life in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on September 21, 2010 at age 29. The moving story of these “two American heroes,” Tom Manion writes, is “representative of an entire young generation of men and women who answered the call to serve after the attacks of September 11, 2001.” This moving story is told well, albeit with the heavy use of reconstructed quotes, and it succeeds as a testament to the courage and dedication of two young men who are now buried next to each other at Arlington National Cemetery. Agent: E.J. McCarthy.

April 15, 2014
Inspirational narrative focused on the friendship between Marine Travis Manion and Navy SEAL Brendan Looney, Naval Academy roommates who fell in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007, co-author Manion, who wrote this book with columnist Sileo, endured the nightmare of any military family: the loss of his son. Following Looney's death, Manion writes, "it became clear that the story of these two American heroes was representative of an entire young generation of men and women who answered the call to serve." Manion and Looney were competitive athletes at Annapolis when their futures were reshaped by 9/11: "[With] the stakes for Travis and Brendan much higher, their frequent runs became even more intense." Manion was first to serve multiple tours, prior to his death while protecting others from a sniper in Fallujah. His loss traumatized the survivors, including Looney, who redoubled his efforts to join the elite SEALs. After his death in a helicopter crash in 2010, their grieving families decided to re-inter Manion to lie alongside Looney at Arlington. The symbolism of their mutual sacrifice was even marked by President Barack Obama in a 2011 address. Readers will undoubtedly respect the dedication of the book's subjects and the loss borne by Manion, but the storytelling does not match the gravity of its subject. The prose relies on mawkish repetition, emphasizing the heartbreak that came with military service following 9/11: "Americans were still dying in Afghanistan and Iraq almost every week, and many more funerals were expected." While focused on the anguish caused by the losses of Travis and Brendan, the authors examine Iraq and Afghanistan as a campaign of professional warriors versus evil, a stance that becomes dissonant--though the authors acknowledge the widening gulf between soldiers' experiences and the perspectives of politicians and the public. Enthusiasts of military heroics should enjoy this grueling account of valor.

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