The Way Forward: Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy

by Robert O'Neill, Dakota Meyer

Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“The Way Forward will help every reader master their own challenges—this is a must-read book!” —Admiral Bill McRaven, U.S. Navy (Retired) and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Make Your Bed

American Sniper meets Make Your Bed in these life lessons from decorated United States service members and New York Times bestselling authors Robert O’Neill and Dakota Meyer—an in-depth, fearless, and ultimately redemptive account of what it takes to survive and thrive on battlefields from Afghanistan and Iraq to our daily lives, and how the perils of war help us hold onto our humanity.

Rob O’Neill and Dakota Meyer are two of the most decorated and recognized US service members: O’Neill killed the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, and Meyer was the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. But beyond their actions and courage in combat, O’Neill and Meyer also have much in common in civilian life: they are both sought-after public speakers, advocates for veterans, and share a non-PC sense of humor. Combining the best of military memoirs and straight-talking self-help, The Way Forward alternates between O’Neill’s and Meyer’s perspectives, looking back with humor at even the darkest war stories, and sharing lessons they learned along the way.

The Way Forward presents O’Neill and Meyer’s philosophy in combat and life. This isn’t a book about the glory of war and combat, but one about facing your enemies, some who are flesh and blood and some that are not: Your thoughts. Your doubts. Your boredom and your regrets. From Rob’s dogged repetition at the free throw line of his childhood basketball court to Dakota’s pursuit of EMT and firefighter credentials to aid accident victims, these two American heroes turn their experiences into valuable lessons for every reader.

Gritty and down-to-earth, O’Neill and Meyer tell their stories with candor and vulnerability to help readers handle stress, tackle their biggest obstacles, and exceed their expectations of themselves, while keeping life’s battles in perspective with a sense of humor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062994073
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	12,188
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Robert O’Neill is one of the country’s most highly decorated Navy SEAL combat veterans, involved in our nation’s most strategic military campaigns, including the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. By the time he was honorably discharged after almost 17 years of service, O’Neill held combat leadership roles in over 400 missions across four different theaters of war. Among his 52 decorations are two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars with Valor, a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, and three Presidential Unit citations. O’Neill is the author of The Operator, his New York Times bestselling account of his years as a SEAL and the hunt for Bin Laden. Today, he is a public speaker, security consultant, philanthropist and FOX News contributor. Through his charity, the Special Operators Transition Foundation, O’Neill works to raise awareness and financial support for special operations military personnel making the difficult transition from the battlefield to the boardroom. He is from Butte, Montana.

Dakota Meyer is a United States Marine and veteran of the war in Afghanistan who became the first living United States Marine in 41 years to receive the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8th, 2009. His book about the events of that day, Into the Fire, was a New York Times bestseller. Today, Meyer serves in the Individual Ready Reserve of the US Marine Corps Reserve, is an advocate for American veterans, the creator of the podcast Front Toward Enemy with Dakota Meyer, and the entrepreneur behind Own The Dash and Flipside Canvas. Born and raised in Columbia, Kentucky, Meyer is a father of two beautiful daughters and lives in Austin, Texas.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Part 1 Preparation

1 American Boys 9

2 Taking Aim 29

3 Find Your Heroes 49

4 Leaving 65

Part 2 Duty

5 Drilling Down 85

6 Open Your Eyes 103

7 In the Shit 127

8 Choose to Connect 143

9 Praise 159

10 Homecoming 179

11 Recuperation 201

12 Build Your Circle 221

13 Be a Firefighter of Life 241

Acknowledgments 265

Notes 269

Editorial Reviews

"War stories with a motivational twist…Both authors suggest, knowingly, that the best plans don’t often survive reality, but it’s important to plan anyway, for “you’re never out of the fight.” — Kirkus Reviews

“O’Neill and Meyer are skilled storytellers. [They] offer plenty of advice for veterans navigating reentry to civilian life.” — Library Journal

“Raw, funny, and poignant, each chapter is an important life lesson from two guys who have thrived in life’s toughest battles. The Way Forward will help every reader master their own challenges—this is a must-read book!” — Admiral Bill McRaven, U.S. Navy (Retired) and author of #1 New York Times bestseller Make Your Bed

“Rob and Dakota are the real deal—warriors. patriots. leaders. And damn good men. In this fantastic book, they turn the dangerous, the confusing, and even the crude moments of combat and life into meaningful, insightful and life-changing insights. This book will make you laugh…and learn how to forge a lasting legacy in the process. Their incredible stories alone are worth the price of admission, and then you walk away learning how to chart your own way forward. Buy this book—and learn how to stand up and face your enemies!” — Pete Hegseth, television host and bestselling author of American Crusade: Our Fight To Stay Free and Modern Warriors: Real Stories From Real Heroes

“The Way Forward is not only about the making of two of America’s greatest heroes but a journey of how common men are forged by family, friends, and brotherhood to make extraordinary sacrifices for their nation. There is no political left or right in their lessons, just an exemplary show of honor, courage, commitment, and faith in protecting their fellow citizens. Their words are guideposts to changing your life and building your own legacy.” — Malcolm Nance, former U.S. Navy senior chief petty officer and author of the New York Times bestseller Defeating ISIS: Who They Are, How They Fight, What They Believe

“In The Way Forward, two American heroes share their inspired messages that are designed to help you achieve and live a heroic life. This is impactful storytelling that implores you to listen.” — Lt. Col Dan Rooney, bestselling author of Fly Into the Wind: How to Harness Faith and Fearlessness on Your Ascent to Greatness

“An inspiring, enthralling, and entertaining book packed with extraordinary anecdotes. I can’t think of two people better equipped to be life coaches or offer leadership advice than these two great American heroes.” — Piers Morgan, journalist and television personality

From the Publisher

Rob and Dakota are the real deal—warriors. patriots. leaders. And damn good men. In this fantastic book, they turn the dangerous, the confusing, and even the crude moments of combat and life into meaningful, insightful and life-changing insights. This book will make you laugh…and learn how to forge a lasting legacy in the process. Their incredible stories alone are worth the price of admission, and then you walk away learning how to chart your own way forward. Buy this book—and learn how to stand up and face your enemies!

Pete Hegseth

In The Way Forward, two American heroes share their inspired messages that are designed to help you achieve and live a heroic life. This is impactful storytelling that implores you to listen.

Lt. Col Dan Rooney

The Way Forward is not only about the making of two of America’s greatest heroes but a journey of how common men are forged by family, friends, and brotherhood to make extraordinary sacrifices for their nation. There is no political left or right in their lessons, just an exemplary show of honor, courage, commitment, and faith in protecting their fellow citizens. Their words are guideposts to changing your life and building your own legacy.

Malcolm Nance

An inspiring, enthralling, and entertaining book packed with extraordinary anecdotes. I can’t think of two people better equipped to be life coaches or offer leadership advice than these two great American heroes.

Piers Morgan

Raw, funny, and poignant, each chapter is an important life lesson from two guys who have thrived in life’s toughest battles. The Way Forward will help every reader master their own challenges—this is a must-read book!

Admiral Bill McRaven

01/01/2022

In this dual biography, veterans O'Neill (Navy SEAL; author of the best-selling The Operator) and Meyer (U.S. Marine; author of the best-selling Into the Fire) come together to tell stories of their early lives, military experiences, and the effects of fame after Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in Afghanistan and O'Neill became known as a member of the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden. Their narratives describe episodes that were important to their lives—family support, training, deployment and execution and, later, handling the aftermath of war and needing help to readjust to civilian life. Both struggled with PTSD and addiction. O'Neill also describes having trouble reconnecting with family, especially after his public remarks about the Abbottabad raid (there are differing accounts of who fired the shot that killed bin Laden) and his decision to speak to the press. Both O'Neill and Meyer are skilled storytellers; O'Neill is also an inspirational speaker on overcoming challenges. They tell their stories in alternating chapters, lending a conversational style to the narrative. VERDICT This memoir is likely to be popular among readers of military books. While speaking to their own challenges, O'Neill and Meyer offer plenty of advice for veterans navigating reentry to civilian life.—Edwin Burgess

Library Journal

2021-12-22
War stories with a motivational twist.

O’Neill, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden, an event he describes in stomach-churningly graphic detail (“I could smell the inside of his skull, like the funky odor of an animal’s entrails”) and former Marine and Medal of Honor winner Meyer team up to describe some of the rules that will help one “avoid being killed,” literally or figuratively. Some are common-sensical: Keep it simple, follow orders, don’t be sloppy. Applied to a military setting, sometimes those rules can be maddening. Meyer writes about returning from battle, his hands covered with blood, some of it “probably…from a Taliban fighter I had killed,” only to be ordered by an officer to wash up before entering the base. He did, because it’s a matter of military culture, drilled in at every waking moment, that one follows orders—which doesn’t bar the authors from noting that the culture tends to foster generalizable rules that don’t always apply to every situation but that the brass regards as sacrosanct. The authors open with an exhortation to remember how a Claymore mine operates. Printed on every one are the words “Front toward enemy”—to point it otherwise is to invite suicide. Meyer doesn’t have much use for the medal he received—it’s stored in his daughter’s toy box—but still writes with high regard of the ideals of military service even as he allows that the object of Marine training is to create killers and “not to help people.” O’Neill is a touch more political, exploding in anger when Trump “retweeted a batshit-crazy tweet from an account connected to QAnon” to the effect that bin Laden was still alive and that Barack Obama, as president, had murdered soldiers to cover it up. Both authors suggest, knowingly, that the best plans don’t often survive reality, but it’s important to plan anyway, for “you’re never out of the fight.”

Better aimed at future soldiers than future CEOs, but with many valuable lessons.

Kirkus Reviews