Tough As They Come (vuoden 2015 painos)

This story is fabulous. Travis Mills has a story to tell, and you should read it.

This review is difficult to write. It is difficult to evaluate a book that is an expression of the author's life. Who am I to comment on his person or how he deals with life as it happens to him? My difficulty in commenting on his time in Afghanistan is that my son was in the army's 4th Infantry Division team which took over for the author's 82nd Airborne Division's team at the end of his second deployment.

My first observation is that the author, Travis Mills, is a bit arrogant from the get-go. After reading the whole book, I believe this is what made him such a good leader in the Army. His description of deployment: "Life in the Afghan outback was the military version of Seinfeld , an endless show about nothing."

I was surprised to learn that the Taliban is basically a drug cartel, which controls the bulk of the world's heroin business, 87% of which originates in Afghanistan. According to SSG Travis Mills this war is not religious, it's about money. (page 154)

The story is overwhelming, more so in light of the fact that the author is not yet 30 years old. The amount of life experience is incredible. It is beyond me to comment on the deployment part of the book, except to say that it will leave you, the reader, feeling as though you were there. It is an honest account without being unduly terrifying. I will leave it at that.

As to the author's rehabilitation for losing four limbs, he has an incredible support system. His wife and her parents, and his parents, have been incredibly involved in his rehabilitation. The fact that he does not have PTSD is an amazing blessing. My son is not an amputee, but has PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).

SSG Travis Mills is an incredibly strong young man. Thank you, Travis, for your service, not only in the Army, but now as you continue to support your fellow warriors and fellow amputees. Your book moved me greatly. God bless you in your brave life as husband, father, son and brother.

The author's message to his readers on page 246:

Hard times come to everybody. When hard times happen, we have a choice to make. We can become discouraged and bitter, or we can choose never to quit. When life gets hard, the key is just to keep pushing forward. Instead of saying, "It could be worse", the key is to say, "It's going to get better." Then work with all your might toward that goal.

I highly recommend this book to those who want an inside look at overcoming adversity with great courage and determination. Travis Mills is a great example to anyone who lacks motivation in his or her circumstances.

I received my copy of Tough As They Come from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

My rating: four stars ( )

As I read SSG Travis Mills’ story 2 things stood out: one this guy didn’t clean up everything to make war and what our soldiers go through palatable for the reader; this is as real as it gets. The second thing I noticed is that even though Tough As They Come is marketed under the Christian genre, he and his co-author show us that he had anger about what happened to him and he felt far from God in his darkest times. This was challenging for him and his family and yet in the midst of suffering God was present.

SSG Travis Mills is one of a few surviving quadruple amputees. As a member of the 82nd Airborne Division he was blown up by a hidden IED in Afghanistan. He, as the title suggests, is one tough guy and a living example of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” In the midst of all the horror of this war tale, SSG Mills’ humor is a bright light that had me laughing through my tears. I came away thinking “if he can go through this and all the rehabilitation, then what the heck am I whining about.” I highly recommend this book to all vets, families of vets, caregivers, doctors who work with them and anyone who cares about what our soldiers go through. I’m giving 5 stars and lots of prayers to the authors for being brave enough to unflinchingly tell his story. ( )