Brothers Forever: The Enduring Bond between a Marine and a Navy SEAL that Transcended Their Ultimate Sacrifice

by Tom Sileo, Tom Manion

Overview

Recounts the personal story of how two Naval academy roommates--US Marine Travis Manion and US Navy SEAL Brendan Looney--defined a generation's sacrifice after 9/11, and how their loved ones carry on in their memory

Four weeks after Navy SEALs had killed Osama bin Laden, the President of the United States stood in Arlington National Cemetery. In his Memorial Day address, he extolled the courage and sacrifice of the two young men buried side by side in the graves before him: Travis Manion, a fallen US Marine, and Brendan Looney, a fallen US Navy SEAL. Although they were killed three years apart, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, these two best friends and former roommates were now buried together--"brothers forever."

Award-winning journalist Tom Sileo and Travis's father, former Marine colonel Tom Manion, come together to tell thisd intimate story, from Travis's incredible heroism on the streets of Fallujah to Brendan's anguished Navy SEAL training in the wake of his friend's death and his own heroism in the mountains of Afghanistan. Brothers Forever is a remarkable story of friendship, family, and war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306822384
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	260,366
Lexile:	1210L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Tom Sileo is senior editor at The Stream (stream.org) and an author, award-winning military writer, and seasoned journalist.

Colonel Tom Manion, USMC (Ret.), is chairman emeritus of the Travis Manion Foundation. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Foreword General John Allen, VSMC (Ret.) ix

Prologue: Just Another Day 1

1 Call to Arms 7

2 Earn It 27

3 Taking a Stand 49

4 "If Not Me, Then Who…" 63

5 No Greater Honor 81

6 The Pizza Slice 109

7 The War Comes Home 133

8 Live Forever 153

9 Honor Man 165

10 Maggie's Prayer 185

11 Moving Forward 199

12 Mission 59 211

13 No Regrets 229

14 Warriors for Freedom 247

Epilogue: Maggie and Honors Pledge 257

Acknowledgments Colonel Tom Manion, USMC (Ret.) 263

Notes 267

Index 269

Editorial Reviews

03/24/2014
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. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"[A] heartfelt and loving tribute...The school years, service and sacrifice of two young men instill awe, inspire humility and introduce tears."
—Military Times

"This moving story is told well...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."
—Publishers Weekly

"Inspirational...Readers will undoubtedly respect the dedication of the book's subjects...Enthusiasts of military heroics should enjoy this grueling account of valor."
—Kirkus Reviews

"This is a tale of two lives, and more than tow lives. It is a heart-touching story."
—Roanoke Times

"I particularly recommended the just published book, Brothers Forever. It's an account of the friendship of U.S. Marine 1st Lieutenant Travis Manion, killed in action in April 1007 in Fallujah, Iraq, and U.S. Navy LT (SEAL) Brendan Looney, killed in action in September 2010, in Zabul province, Afghanistan...A gripping account of friendship, war, sacrifice, and valor."
—The Weekly Standard

"Will grip readers—even after they've finished the book...A fitting tribute to the lives of these two fallen warrior brothers. They were among America's best. This well-written, well conceived book will hit you hard in the gut."
—Leatherneck

"Travis Manion and Brendan Looney accepted the call to defend their country. They rest beside each other now at Arlington Cemetery. Their story is worth your time."
—Richmond Examiner

"A profoundly moving story—of two valiant and courageous young men who gave their lives for their country."
—Wsahington Independent Review of Books

"A tragic, yet somehow also uplifting story of two young men, two warriors, who lost their live son the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and now lie together forever at Arlington National Cemetery."
—Philadelphia Inquirer

"Brothers Forever is a horrific yet gripping and engaging story of two American soldiers—two heroes—whose courage on the battlefield was astonishing...This memorable account truly and finely honors the bravery of the late servicemen."
—San Francisco Book Review

"A story about duty, honor, friendship, family and above all trying to do the best you can to help. For some that may very well lie in places far outside the military life, but they can still employ the lesson s from Looney and Manion."
—BlogCritics

From the Publisher

2014-03-31
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.

Kirkus Reviews