Powerful Peace -

A Navy SEAL’s Lessons on Peace from a Lifetime at War

I first came across J. Robert DuBois by way of twitter in the early months of 2011. Being a huge supporter of our military both past and present I was drawn to not just his service, but rather his words.  Rob's thoughts and opinions on topics ranging from war to politics have many times left me feeling a sense of empowerment. One might ask why I would choose such a word, but the phrase 'Knowledge is Power' is lost on way too many. Being a former Navy SEAL is far from his only credit. Rob has a way of explaining things which gives others a different perspective, showing people the proverbial flip side of the coin. When I was given the honor of reading an advanced copy of Powerful Peace - A Navy SEAL’s Lessons on Peace from a Lifetime at War I couldn't wait to get started on it. If I was asked a year ago if I thought the book was a good premise I would have said that I was sure the book would be great. So, needless to say when I began reading Powerful Peace I didn't expect to be surprised by it's content.

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Rob wastes no time as the book begins and he takes us right to that horrific day, ten years ago on September 11, 2001. One of the first things that reached out from the pages and grabbed my heart in both sadness and pain was that this was not just a book written by an warrior, someone who spent years defending our nation and it's people by serving on one of the most elite special forces units around today, but rather it was written by a man. A man who has a family and sees the world the way it is, not through rose colored glasses. He sees its beauty and its flaws. 

Throughout the book Rob takes us on a journey of the years following the September 11th attacks. His ability to provide us with insight from the perspectives of a Navy SEAL, a husband, a father and even those who are considered our enemies is something that left me with moments of pause and self reflection. 

My notes on this book are lengthy and somewhat personal so I decided to try and keep my review of it brief. I would be genuinely surprised if there was a person out there who could say after reading this book, that they were not affected on a deep and personal level by it's content. Powerful Peace for me is no longer a coin phrase thought up by a former U.S. Navy SEAL. Nor is it merely the title of a book. It is something much more influential than that. A form of diplomacy, which when practiced could possibly shape the future of our nation and world so it sees less war, less death and more PEACE. It is, what I hope will some day be, a way of life.

I hope that everyone reading this takes the time to explore all that Powerful Peace could come to mean for them, their family and our future.  Applied "smart power" is a game changer for the future of humanity. 

Here's what other people had to say about Powerful Peace:

"If we do not teach our children the principals of peace 

someone will teach them the fundamentals of hate" 

Kimberly Wolfert, Demand Mgmt. & Sales Planning at Chiquita Brands Intl.

 
Mr. DuBois presents a compelling case, based on experiences he vividly shares with the reader, for a new type of Applied Smart Power. He takes you through the hearts, homes, and minds of allies - across the geopolitical and physical battlefield - and convinces you to join him in striving for his new doctrine of balanced peacemaking.

Ali-Reza Anghaie

DS&S Tactical's Charity Knife Auction in honor of those fallen on 8-6-11

On August 6, 2011 our nation was rocked by tragedy when a CH-47 Chinook carrying 38 Warriors was shot down by a rocket propelled grenade in the Wardack Province of Afghanistan killing all 38 people on board.  Of those who died, 17 were U.S. Navy SEALs, 5 were U.S. Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Command Support personnel, 5 were crew members from the U.S. Army's 7th Battallion, 158th Aviation Regiment and 2nd Batallion, 135th Aviation Regiment, 2 were special operations U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen (PJ's) and 1 Combat Controller from the Air Force Special Operation Command (AFSOC); also on board was a highly trained U.S. military dog.

Sadly, the event was reminiscent of a blow we felt a little over six years ago on June 28, 2005, when we lost 11 U.S. Navy SEALs and 8 of our U.S. Army's Night Stalkers in Operation Red Wings.  Until August 6th that had been the single worst loss of life in the Special Operations Command in Afghanistan. The similarities and immense number of casualties served as a chilling reminder of the grief felt six years ago.

DS&S Tactical, a company founded by a Veteran of Somalia, is making a total of four custom knives to honor our fallen Warriors. These knives will be auctioned and sold to the highest bidder with 100% of the proceeds made going to charities which will help military families. The first knife in the series, and the one you see below will benefit The Navy SEAL Foundation in honor of the fallen heroes of 8/6/11 Tangi River Valley "Extortion 17".

For those of you who have watched me on my mission to Honor Them in the past year you know that any organization willing to give back to military or veterans and their families is always going to have my full and unyielding support. So I ask you to please share this very worthy cause with as many people as you can so that we can help DS&S Tactical raise as much money as possible to give back to those who have given so much.  As always, I thank you for your support and all you do to Honor Them.

"All gave some ~ Some gave all"

LINK TO AUCTION

From the DS&S Tactical website:

Because we can:

DS&S will offer a separate knife for charity auction, in remembrance of each of the military services represented in the lives lost at the Tangi River Valley. Below, is the knife marking the lives and accomplishments of the Navy SEALs who died that day. In the coming weeks, we will produce three other blades: One for the Army, one for the Air Force - and we will also produce one to benefit Military Working Dogs. All four knives will be produced by us and 100-percent of the proceeds will go to charity to benefit military families...

The Tangi River Bullshark - now ready for handle and sheath construction - and the special nano-infusion process, which will make the steel as much as 100 times stronger than it is now.

 

 This is a close-up pic of the raw engraved blade which will be infused with single-walled carbon nano tubes - truly super steel .... and one of a kind.

A special thank you to DS&S Tactical for allowing me to post this information from their site. 

A few other pictures of the Tangi River Bullshark

Nano Tubes are applied.
They begin to fill in the cut channels and link together






  
The blade once it's coated

The blade once it's cured