Thank You for My Service

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 6,406 ratings

Price: 13.78

Last update: 12-09-2024


About this item

New York Times best seller

The unapologetic, laugh-your-ass-off military memoir both vets and civilians have been waiting for, from a five-tour Army Ranger turned YouTube phenomenon and zealous advocate for veterans

Members of the military’s special operations branches share a closely guarded secret: They love their jobs. They relish the opportunity to fight. They are thankful for it, even, and hopeful that maybe, possibly, they’ll also get to kill a bunch of bad guys while they’re at it. You don’t necessarily need to thank them for their service - the pleasure is all theirs.

In this hilarious and personal memoir, listeners ride shotgun alongside former Army Ranger and private military contractor and current social media phenomenon Mat Best, into the action and its aftermath, both abroad and at home. From surviving a skin infection in the swampy armpit of America (aka Columbus, Georgia) to kicking down doors on the outskirts of Ramadi, from blowing up a truck full of enemy combatants to witnessing the effects of a suicide bombing right in front of your face, Thank You for My Service gives listeners who love America and love the good guys fresh insight into what it’s really like inside the minds of the men and women on the front lines.

It’s also a sobering yet steadying glimpse at life for veterans after the fighting stops, when the enemy becomes self-doubt or despair and you begin to wonder why anyone should be thanking you for anything, least of all your service. How do you keep going when something you love turns you into somebody you hate? For veterans and their friends and families, Thank You for My Service will offer comfort in the form of a million laughs and counsel as a blueprint for what to do after the war ends and the real fight begins.

And for civilians, this is the insider account of military life you won’t find anywhere else, told with equal amounts of heart and balls. It’s Deadpool meets Captain America, except one went to business school and one went to therapy, and it’s anyone’s guess which is which.


Top reviews from the United States

Kristin
5.0 out of 5 stars Real, intense, and humorous
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
Real, intense, humorous. This book was absolutely amazing, Mat Best shares his life with us with all the details. As I read this I went through a number of emotions, and I really liked getting to hear about all of his experiences. I think this is a great book, I would recommend it to anyone.
bxm 5
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, interesting and very insightful. Thank you and all others for your sacrifice and service.
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2023
Very good read that bares the thoughts and soul of the author. It covers the full range of normal experiences growing up to the extraordinary experiences of the special people that defend our country. This book has been able to help explain why veterans may feel a lack of purpose after their service has ended.
Matt Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars have you F###ed Mat Best today
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2019
when i opened the pages a cup of Black Rifle Coffee just appeared from nowhere the lights dimmed except for the lamp shining on the American Flag in the living room window which had a glow brighter than ever on the good ole red white an blue the animals gathered around as if in a Disney movie awaiting me to read the words aloud Range 15 sarting playing on the tv and Bald Eagles landed out front as i read into this amazing work of modern literature the feeling of love for my country grew even larger than ever before as did the granite like freedom boner i had my wife became uncontrollably aroused an fireworks lit the sky on fire as i read to her my beard grew 8 inches my bench press is up another 200 lbs my i f###ed Mat best shirt stood erect wait that might have been because it was a fun rag during chapter 2 anyways i felt the need to take 6 scoops of pre workout and blast Bitch i OPerate till all the neighbors got their freedom on i built a firing range in the backyard and played carol of the bells with a barrett .50 i can now catch salmon with my bare hands and knife hand a great oak to kindling spark a fire with a button off my shirt an dress a wound in the field like a surgeon i gained 8 pack abs and a stare that makes "blue steel " look like an amateur ......if you are reading this and not Mat's book you're missing out on shenanigans and greatness now if only we could get Range 15 part 2 the world would be a better place
John
5.0 out of 5 stars Makes real soldiers laugh out loud
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2024
So hilarious I had to send copies to my friends. Authors do a great job of saying what we're all thinking about our service in a completely new and irreverent way. Laughed out loud so very often, but can only share with my comrades in arms, because others would consider me an ultimate freak for finding humor with some of Mat's situations (shared by my brothers in arms) and descriptions. What an absolute hoot!
Gu5xGus
5.0 out of 5 stars Autographed explained, then my enjoyment for book
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019
First off do not pay attention to any of the negative reviews about autographed. when the book was originally posted for pre-order it was never gonna be signed. Everyone wanted signed copies so Mat looked into what he could do, and then posted that you could get a signed insert to add to your book. But you had to to to thankyouformyservice.com by a certain date and fill out the requested info and pre order number in order to receive the signed insert for the book. This insert did not come from amazon. In my picture posted you can see the insert I received that came in a small envelope two days after I received the book from Amazon. So those leaving negative reviews for having just the book, just didnt follow the instructions from what mat did as an extra bonus for those who wanted autographs.

Great book, and definitely a must for audible. Enenjoyed hearing his stories from the military and all the humor he has throughout the book. Hearing his start up and how it all came along to what he and the company is today is great. I got the book and excited to have autographed for it and I also got the audible. And let me tell you that you must listen to the audible he adds so much character to it. When listening to it you would think your watching one of the youtube videos he does! Great biography and would recommend to anyone who enjoys hearing about military and comedy and just greatness.
Customer image
Gu5xGus
5.0 out of 5 stars Autographed explained, then my enjoyment for book
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019
First off do not pay attention to any of the negative reviews about autographed. when the book was originally posted for pre-order it was never gonna be signed. Everyone wanted signed copies so Mat looked into what he could do, and then posted that you could get a signed insert to add to your book. But you had to to to thankyouformyservice.com by a certain date and fill out the requested info and pre order number in order to receive the signed insert for the book. This insert did not come from amazon. In my picture posted you can see the insert I received that came in a small envelope two days after I received the book from Amazon. So those leaving negative reviews for having just the book, just didnt follow the instructions from what mat did as an extra bonus for those who wanted autographs.

Great book, and definitely a must for audible. Enenjoyed hearing his stories from the military and all the humor he has throughout the book. Hearing his start up and how it all came along to what he and the company is today is great. I got the book and excited to have autographed for it and I also got the audible. And let me tell you that you must listen to the audible he adds so much character to it. When listening to it you would think your watching one of the youtube videos he does! Great biography and would recommend to anyone who enjoys hearing about military and comedy and just greatness.
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Christian Fagerland
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and fascinating book about a person I did not like
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book. I was fascinated about the story - an interesting look into a world I never have been a part of.

I did not like Mat at all. He is totally in love with himself, and the way he is bragging about his looks, sex appeal and "badassery" are getting old. But still, I really respect him for it. I like that people just are themselves without giving a damn about what others think. So, Mat - I don't like you, but you don't care, and you would probably not want to hang out with a person like me anyway. Cheers!

The part about this book that I had the hardest time reading about, was the total lack of respect of the enemy Mat showed. Shooting people "in their faces" was just plain fun, and the whole story about these missions could just as well been about an exiting soccermatch. The person you kill are in fact a person. He might have a long beard, wear "terrorist looking clothes" and carries an AK47, but still this is a human being. An human being that has been fostered by his peers to look at the world in a certain way. But lets not get carried away with this - the book was a fascinating read, and I guess soldiers needs to de-humanize the enemy when their days consist of shooting them at close range.

The time after Mats service was more fun to read about. My favorite part was when Mat was screened for a job, involving a pool and a flamingo statue.

A good read, surprised of how close Mats stories resemble how Hollywood interprets special operations.

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