FEARLESS: A Navy Seal’s Fight off the Battlefield
Fearless. It’s not just an adjective. It is a book written about Navy Seal Adam Brown. 
So why are we writing about a Navy Seal? Well, Adam Brown was one of the top 1% of all Navy Seals. That’s nice but not the reason we’re writing about him. We’re inviting you to understand Adam Brown’s journey.
You see, Adam Brown was a recovered heroin addict. Let’s repeat that. Adam Brown was a recovered heroin addict.
I picked this book up on a Monday and finished it on a Wednesday. I was held captive by every step on his path to addiction, through the pain and struggle and out into recovery. The insight and honesty hit home deep in my heart. The struggle despite his dream being in the palm of his hand was as familiar to me as his passion for the military and his country.
Adam Brown reminded me so much of Robby. As I read about his adrenaline seeking stunts as a teen, I saw Robby doing the same things. His compassion for others ignited my heartfelt memories of Robby doing the same things. The relationships and impact to the relationships he had with his parents, his sister and his brother, well, just substitute our names for theirs, and I lived those days all over again. I found myself making this story personal as I swept through each page.
Heartfelt Understanding
At the heart of this book are two things that every family dealing with addiction should understand, and what every addict battling for recovery should take to heart.
- The role that faith has in recovery. I’m not talking about just his recovery either. I am talking about his family’s recovery, specifically his Mom and Dad. Learning to surrender, to let go, to understand this disease and realize that they needed something bigger than themselves – God and their faith community. His wife, and the incredible strength she derived from her faith as God guided her choices in a way that only His hand is able. Finally, Adam himself, in need of a miracle, or maybe several, searching for answers, searching for help, and finding it when he did not expect to.
- Second, what the world needs to know is that addicts are incredible people capable of incredible things. I have said it before and will always believe it. If you are able to earn recovery, there is nothing on earth that you cannot accomplish. Recovery is the hardest thing you will ever have to do (short of sending a child home to heaven). To see the heart of a person break through the dark sheath of addiction to love and serve unselfishly, to excelling in one of the most physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually challenging environments known to man should serve as a harbinger for all those in recovery. There is nothing in which you are not capable.
For me, the book led me down a road of smiles, laughs and tears, leaving me more convinced than ever that addicts are incredibly gifted people and when their talents are unleashed, there are no limits. If you are an addict or have a loved one dealing with addiction, stop reading this and find your favorite place to acquire reading material. Get FEARLESS, read it and take the lessons forward with you.
Rob Brandt