Hope Unseen; The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer
Gabe Roger (Front jacket photograph), Amanda Mille New York: Howard Books, 2010. First Howard Books Hardcover Edition [stated]. First printing [stated]. Hardcover. xi, [1], 243 pages. Illustrations. DJ has some wear and edge tears. Black mark on botton edge. Inscription signed by Smiley on the dedication page. Inscription reads Jeff and Thomas and family, thank you for your love and service. God Bless. Scott Smiley. Scott "Scotty" Smiley is a retired U.S. Army Major and United States Military Academy graduate. He was the U.S. Army's first blind active duty officer. After graduating from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York in 2003 he then completed the Basic Officer Leaders Course and Ranger School both at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was then stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington where he led a platoon of 45 men. While at West Point Smiley became friends with Edward Graham, the son of Franklin Graham. Smiley and Graham ended up entering the Army on the same day, were in Ranger School together and were in the same platoon. On April 6, 2005, Smiley was wounded while partially exposed on the top of a Stryker in Mosul, Iraq when a suicide bomber blew up a car close by. Smiley fired two warning shots in front of the vehicle and then the car exploded which sent shrapnel into his eyes. The shrapnel that entered Smiley's eyes left him blind and temporarily paralyzed. He woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center. An Army medical review board later declared him fit to continue to serve. He then became the U.S. Army's first blind active duty officer. In 2010 he received the "Father of the Year" award from the National Father's Day Committee. He received the Christopher Award and the Louis Braille Award both in 2011. Doug Crandall is the founding partner of Blue Rudder, a leadership development consultancy. He has led in the US Army, taught at West Point, and helped develop and grow Walmart's Leadership Academy. Doug is the coauthor of Hope Unseen and the editor of Leadership Lessons from West Point. This is the inspiring, unflinching true story of blind faith, as Major Scotty Smiley awakes in a hospital bed and realizes his world is permanently dark he must stretch his faith like never before. Courageous, heartfelt, and honest, Hope Unseen challenges readers to question their doubts, not their beliefs, and depend upon God no matter what. A nervous glance from a man in a parked car. Muted instincts from a soldier on patrol. Violent destruction followed by total darkness. Two weeks later, Scotty Smiley woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center, helpless . . . and blind. Blindness became Scotty's journey of supreme testing. As he lay helpless in the hospital, Captain Smiley resented the theft of his dreams, becoming a CEO, a Delta Force operator, or a four-star general. With his wife Tiffany's love and the support of his family and friends, Scotty was transformed, the injury only intensifying his indomitable spirit. Since the moment he jumped out of a hospital bed and forced his way through nurses and cords to take a simple shower, Captain Scotty Smiley has climbed Mount Rainier, won an ESPY as Best Outdoor Athlete, surfed, skydived, become a father, earned an MBA from Duke, taught leadership at West Point, commanded an army company, and won the MacArthur Leadership Award. Scotty and Tiffany Smiley have lived out a faith so real that it will inspire you to question your own doubts, push you to serve something bigger than yourself, and encourage you to cling to a Hope Unseen. Condition: Very good / Good.
Keywords: Blind, Disability, United States Army, Ranger School, West Point, Andrew Harris, Tiffany Smiley, Athlete, Faith, Spirituality, Purple Heart, Rehabilitation
ISBN: 9781439183793
[Book #85913]
Price: $125.00