Book Review: “The Warrior’s Heart” by Eric Greitens

Eric Greitens received a degree from Duke University in ethics, philosophy, and public policy. He earned the prestigious Rhodes scholarship, and eventually received a PhD from Oxford University. As if these accomplishments were not enough, Greitens was also a boxing champion and a Navy SEAL. However, this is not all. It seems there are few challenges–physical, mental, or academic–that Greitens has not tackled.

By any standard, Greitens is an impressive individual–one who has dedicated his life to humanity and service to others. Greitens worked as a humanitarian volunteer in Rwanda, Cambodia, Albania, Mexico, India, Bosnia, and Bolivia. His latest book, The Warrior’s Heart, is an intriguing young adult adaption of his New York Times bestseller, The Heart and the Fist. In The Warrior’s Heart, Greitens recounts his life lessons and experiences as both a humanitarian and a warrior.

Greitens’s eagerness to serve others took him to far-flung parts of the world. While in college he volunteered to work in Croatia and Bosnia with The Project for Unaccompanied Children in Exile. There, he helped children and refugees attempting to recover from the devastating conflict they had experienced. While working in Bosnia Greitens realized that great intellectual theories and ideas could not prevent catastrophes. To avert heinous atrocities such as the genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, one must also be willing to act. “The great dividing line between words and results was courageous action. And sometimes that action meant the use of force,” Greitens writes. Most often the United Nations and NATO become involved in conflict-ridden areas in the wake of violent upheavals. Greitens writes that he decided during this time to become part of a force that “could offer strong protection in the first place.”

Determined to help protect the weak and to find a more effective way to continue humanitarian work, Greitens grew in support of the use of force. The world is marked by violence, Greitens states, and to put an end to it, we must be willing to fight. Therefore, rather than pursue an academic career at Oxford, Greitens joined U.S. Navy SEALs because, he writes, “The SEAL teams would give me little, but make me more.”

After serving in Iraq as commander of an al-Qaeda targeting cell, Greitens founded The Mission Continues–a national non-profit organization that challenges and prepares veterans to serve in their communities after completing service in the military. Greitens writes that his experiences in Croatia and Rwanda taught him that the best way for people to truly recover from conflict’s ravages and to feel whole was to continue to serve people around them. Therefore, in the chapter titled “Your Mission,” Greitens urges teen readers to serve their fellow man: “I am asking you to serve because we need you. We need you to use all of your unique gifts to make a difference in a way that only you can. There is almost no problem in the world that is not being solved by a young person somewhere.”

“The Warrior’s Heart” is a powerful, inspiring book. It is beautifully written and serves as living testimony that one individual can make a difference in the lives of many.

If you wish to learn more about Greitens and his mission, visit his website at www.ericgreitens.com