If I Don't Return: A Father's Wartime Journal
5 | 1 ratings
Price: 30.75
Last update: 03-13-2026
Product details
- Publisher : Ballast Books
- Publication date : March 10, 2026
- Language : English
- Print length : 350 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1966786727
- ISBN-13 : 978-1966786726
- Item Weight : 1.41 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 2 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank:#41 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Survival Biographies
- Military Leader Biographies
- Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:5.05.0 out of 5 stars(1)
Top reviews from the United States
- S. DawsonA Rare and Thoughtful Book on Leadership and CharacterThis is a remarkable book.
Before deploying to the Gulf War in 1990, then-Lieutenant Mark Hertling was told that his cavalry unit—one of the first across the lines—might suffer casualties approaching 50%.
With two young sons at home, he began writing them a handwritten journal in case he didn’t return.
What makes this book powerful is its authenticity. It was were written by a young father confronting the possibility that his children might grow up without him.
The entries range from everyday reflections to deeply thoughtful advice about courage, leadership, character, and responsibility. Throughout the book, Hertling shows a quiet but powerful understanding of what it means to be a man, a father, and a leader.
Years later, at the urging of his youngest son, Hertling annotated the journal with the wisdom of the intervening years. What emerges is a vision of masculinity that is disciplined without being harsh, principled without being self-righteous, and deeply rooted in service to others.
It’s thoughtful, sincere, and profoundly human. It is a gift to all of us.
Highly recommended.