Lieutenant General (Retired) Mark Hertling Talks If I Don’t Return—Part Battlefield Memoir, Part Father's Journal

Check out Mark Hertling's discussion of his book, If I Don't Return, with Andy Symonds, president of Ballast Books.                                                When Mark Hertling was deployed to Iraq in 1990, he didn’t know if he’d ever return home. He started keeping a journal that could be passed down to his sons, writing about everything from the reality of combat during Operation Desert Storm and lessons on duty and humanity to stories of brotherhood and memories of his family. Now, decades later, he has returned to those journal entries and added detailed reflections to share his wealth of knowledge and experience with the world. Part battlefield memoir, part father’s journal, part meditation on the challenges of leadership, If I Don’t Return is the story of a soldier who faced death, returned home, and continued to live a life of service.  Lieutenant General (Retired) Mark Hertling served thirty-eight years in the US Army, as a major in a cavalry squadron during Desert Storm; as an assistant division commander in the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad; and later as the commander of the 1st Armored Division in Northern Iraq. From 2014 to 2024, Mark appeared as a military and national security analyst for CNN/CNN International. Today, he is a freelance analyst and writes on national security and leadership issues for a variety of media outlets. Get your copy of If I Don't Return here!