Sgt Maj Brad Kasal has a new book out – “My Men Are My Heroes”.  Of course, Sgt Maj. Kasals is the hero who was awarded the Navy Cross for protecting another Marine with his body.

Injured war hero aims to inspire others with book

Sgt. Maj. Brad Kasal still thinks every day about death, sacrifice and honor in Iraq, even though he’s back in Iowa. The war hero has written a book in hopes of inspiring other Marines.

Kasal, 40, said he can’t forget what happened on Nov. 13, 2004, while he was engaged in urban combat against insurgents in Fallujah.

It was there that he earned a Navy Cross for leading a mission into an enemy-held house to rescue wounded Marines. He killed one insurgent in the house in a face-to-face encounter. Then he was shot seven times by an enemy fighter with an AK-47 assault rifle and absorbed the brunt of a grenade blast while shielding another badly injured Marine with his body.

snip……Kasal initially rebuffed all offers for a book deal, but relented after Helms told him he could use the book to discuss how well his men performed in Iraq.

Kasal also said he recalled reading about famous Marines years ago and he hoped he could help to inspire younger Marines. Finally, Kasal said he wanted to talk frankly about the seriousness of his wounds and his personal battle to recover, which has included bouts with depression.

Although Kasal marched before a Marine Corps general at Camp Pendleton, Calif., with no apparent limp when he was awarded the Navy Cross on May 1, 2006, he disclosed recently that his right leg has never fully recovered from his wounds.

“I can hide it pretty well if I need to, and right then I was hiding it very well,” he said.

In the weeks and months after Kasal was injured, doctors recommended amputation of his lower right leg, but he strongly resisted. Then he surprised medical professionals, who had predicted he would never walk again on the leg, by recovering to the point where he passed the Marines’ physical fitness test last November with a first-class score. The test includes a three-mile run, pull-ups and abdominal crunches.

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