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The Green Beret in You: Living with Total Commitment to Family, Career, Sports and Life

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The Green Beret in You: Living with Total Commitment to Family, Career, Sports and Life

Mr. Giduck and his associates do an outstanding job of describing in simple "real" speak what it means to make a commitment to life. We will be using his book as a model for character building with our high school students. All educators should read this book as they ponder how to build character in America's youth and in themselves.

The Green Beret in You is both entertaining and inspirational. The book provides many insights about one author's experience as one of the most elite warriors in the world and explains how the lifestyle learned by green berets can and should extend to everyday life. The authors remind us of many of the principles that make one's life worth living. Take courage, for example. We all experience fear as a natural response, but warriors will go out of their way to engage in activities that force them to confront and deal with their fears. Another principle - recognize and live up to your responsibility to family, friends, and community - could help counteract the growing insular nature of today's American culture. Many of us go about our lives trying to improve personal happiness while minimizing risk of personal harm. But how many of us actively attempt to improve the lives of those around us, and are willing to put ourselves in harm's way when someone less capable of defending him- or herself is in need of help? This is exactly the type of thing that this book reminds us to do, and demonstrates that it is a way to bring the meaning that so many of us are searching for into our lives.

Let me start by saying I'm a housewife in a small town in Colorado. I also have a keen interest in history and how it is affecting us now in this time of terror and jihad. But when I was given this book to read I didn't really feel it would apply to me. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book offers for something for every man, woman and child in this country. For men, it asks you to look inside yourself and decide what is important enough to take a stand on. For women, it gives you information on safety, and who your "life team" really is, and how to create it. (How many of your friends or family will REALLY be there to do something that counts when you really need them)? For children, do your parents know how to keep you safe, including in a case where your school is attacked? What I know is that some parts of this book were written as if they were written for me, and others showed me better parts of myself than I have ever been able to find by myself. Don't be put off by the title, it is not only for Green Berets, but for America. Many lessons to learn, and perhaps like me you will find something deep inside of you that is stronger, better, and more willing to stand up for what you think, and what your life team needs from you. Thank you John and Andy for creating a better person in me. I hope that more Americans will read it and start to find out who and what they are and stand for.

One of the authors of this book is being outed as a Special Forces poseur. While the content of the book might be great "coaching" toward a positive lifestyle, he is in fact a fraud. Take the book for what it is worth and not a true reflection of the Green Beret "Lifestyle."

John Giduck is currently waging a war of words with actual members of the Special Operations Community - threatening to sue due to the fact members are questioning his credentials, publicly. It seems things are quickly going downhill for Mr. Giduck. Bing and Google will reveal the bruhaha.

As a retired fifteen year veteran of the US Army Special Forces, I wanted to know what John Giduck thought a Green Beret is or should be. I'm not sure that I meet all of John's expectations, but as a close friend of John's, I was curious to to find out what he thought. What I read made me smile as I read about what I took for granted during best fifteen years of my life. I had never taken the time to conceptualize what made up a Green Beret nor do most of us advertise the fact that we are anything more than just a man with a desire to be something a bit more than ordinary and endowed by God with the ability and drive to achieve it.

In reflection, as I read, I realized that those qualities about which John wrote were those ideas and ideals that my father taught me as a young boy and as a wayward half lost teenager. From that point of view I recognized the value of the lessons in the book that related to the young men and women of today. I used these lessons to teach and motivate a group of young men and was amazed that most had never heard of chivalry let alone know what it means. We as a society in many ways are failing to teach our young people the basic values of mutual respect that made our society great.

I recommend this book to every family with teenage children. The lessons are invaluable and the expectations of manhood are clearly articulated. Every young man should know what is expected of him as a man. Every young woman should understand how she should expect to be treated by a young man and that she should accept nothing less. The lessons will help a young person grow and broaden his or her horizon.

This book needs to be read by every man and young man in the United States. We need men that live by these words. I attended a class with the one of the authors John Giduck, and purchased the book there. I am now ordering a copy for each police officer in my agency. I also am purchasing one for my son. Great book.

"The Green Beret In You: Living with Total Commitment to Family, Career, Sports, and Life" by John Giduck with Special Forces Sergeant Major John A. Anderson (RET.) is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I read a lot of books. I have to agree with Brad Thor's quote on the back that it is "the essential guide to manhood, and if John Wayne had left a how-to-manual on being a real man, this would be it." In fact, the endorsements by Thor and Lt. Col. Dave Grossman helped influence my decision to purchase the book. That and the fact that I worked with SF a few times when serving with the 82nd Airborne Division and in South Korea with the 2nd Infantry Divison, and I've always respected those who wore and wear the green beret.

Right up front, this book was written for men. It's not that women couldn't learn from this book, or live by some of the principles, but the fact is Special Forces are composed of men, and this book is aimed at how men should be. Like Thor said, it is a manual on being a real man. There is a reason John Wayne made a movie about the Green Berets, and that because they shared his conservative values of honor, integrity, and having the courage to do what's right. That is exactly what this book is about. The book uses the principles and values of those serving in Special Forces as the model for living. It uses the Green Beret as a model to live life to your fullest. I loved the part where the person was shocked that the author didn't follow sports on television because he was too busy living to stop and watch others playing.

The book first explains the making of a Green Beret and the character of a Green Beret. Then in part two, it focuses on Green Berets in everyday life and how you can build the Green Beret in you through principles such as being a man, not hiding, and not sugarcoating things. (And so many more!) The fourth chapter addresses the workplace and how living and working with the values of the SF soldier will make you stand out in any corporation or workplace. Next, the authors focus on team, and the importance of teams in our lives.

Part Three of the book delves into Green Beret Commitment with chapters on commitment to marriage, commitment to family, commitment to career, commitment to sports, and commitment to life. I can't stress enough how important the concepts in these chapters are and how by living this way a person will undoubtedly be not only a better person, but a much happier and successful one.

The final part consists of some rules for everyday life. Ten short rules, but they mean a lot of lived by. The book then shares the Special Forces Code and concludes with a brief Conclusion that motivates the reader to live with the courage and values taught in this manual.

Like I said, I read a lot of books, and there are some that I do go back to for research when I'm writing, but there are very few that I will read cover to cover multiple times. This book has just earned a spot on that short list. This is a book I will read again to continuously remind myself of how I should be living and to help me teach others to live with the Warrior's Edge.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.

I've just finished The Green Beret In You by John Giduck and found it to be outstanding. John has brought the true meaning of the Green Beret spirt to each and every page of the book. It's much different than any other book I have read and would recommend it to everyone, male and female alike of all age groups. I have a new outlook on life and understand why the Green Berets are the men that they are and why they live the life they do.This is a "must read" for any Special Operations Operator, be it military or law enforcement, you can"t help but take something away to better your life by reading this well written book.

I think every mother of a son should read this---mothers need to understand how NOT to feminize their sons. This is an excellent book in raising boys:-) I would suggest this as a shower gift to any mother expecting a son. I have read a ton of parenting books and I would put this in the top 5. And it was not written to be a parenting book:-) Excellent!!!

"The Green Beret in You" by John Anderson and Sgt. Maj. John Anderson is the one book everyone should read. If you've been different all your life and didn't know why, read this book and you'll understand that you've been living the "Green Beret" life without knowing it. Doesn't matter if you're male or female, you'll understand yourself better if you've always taken the time to help another person. And you'll have a better appreciation for our Special Forces personnel, the Green Berets in particular and all the service men and women of America. Thank you Mr. Anderson and Sgt. Maj. Anderson for bringing this life style into focus for us.