Mark Hertling Talks Fatherhood, New Book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal & More episode artwork

EPISODE · May 25, 2026 · 41 MIN

Mark Hertling Talks Fatherhood, New Book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal & More

from The Art of Fatherhood Podcast

Mark Hertling sits down with me to talk about his fatherhood journey. He and I talk about the values he looked to instill into his sons as they grew up. In addition, he shares the life lessons his kids have taught him. After that he and I talk about his new book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal. He tells me how this book came to be and how his sons were the inspiration. We also talk about the similarities of fatherhood and being a leader in the military. Lastly, we finish the interview with the Fatherhood Quick Five.  About Mark Hertling  Mark Hertling served thirty-eight years in the US Army as a tanker and cavalryman, serving at every level from tank platoon leader on the East-West German border to commander of the US Army, Europe (USAREUR) and the Seventh Army. During his combat tours, Mark served as a major in a cavalry squadron during Desert Storm. 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 extensively on national security and leadership for a variety of media outlets.Make sure you follow Mark on Instagram over at @markhertling1975. Also make sure you purchase his book, If I Don't Return: A Father's Wartime Journal wherever books are sold.  CodeMonkey Is This Week’s Sponsor  CodeMonkey is an AWARD-WINNING online platform that teaches kids real coding languages like CoffeeScript and Python. Children and teenagers learn block-based and text-based coding through an engaging game-like environment. Millions of CodeMonkey's students are now excited about coding! CodeMonkey does not require prior coding experience to teach and is designed for schools, clubs, and home use. Do you want to start coding now? Kids from 5-14 years old can learn block-coding, text-coding, CoffeeScript and Python all while playing! Kids as young as 5 can start programming to solve scaffolded puzzles and build their own games. Try it today! Go to their website over at codemonkey.com.  About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast  The Art of Fatherhood Podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with fantastic dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. You get a unique perspective on fatherhood from guests like Bob Odenkirk, Hank Azaria, Joe Montana, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Jerry Rice, Jeff Foxworthy, Patrick Warburton, Jeff Kinney, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kyle Busch, Dennis Quaid, Dwight Freeney and many more.

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Mark Hertling Talks Fatherhood, New Book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal & More

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How long is this episode of The Art of Fatherhood Podcast?

This episode is 41 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 25, 2026.

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Mark Hertling sits down with me to talk about his fatherhood journey. He and I talk about the values he looked to instill into his sons as they grew up. In addition, he shares the life lessons his kids have taught him. After that he and I talk about...

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