Once a Warrior
How One Veteran Found a New Mission Closer to Home
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Narrated by:
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Jake Wood
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By:
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Jake Wood
About this listen
"The book that America needs right now." (Tom Brokaw, journalist and author of The Greatest Generation)
"Jake Wood offers one of the most soaring definitions of service I've ever seen." (Maria Shriver, award-winning journalist and author of I've Been Thinking)
From Marine sniper Jake Wood, a riveting memoir of leading over 100,000 veterans to a life of renewed service, volunteering to battle, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, pandemics, and civil wars, and inspiring onlookers as their unique military training saved lives and rebuilt our country.
When Jake Wood arrived in the States after two grueling tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he watched his unit lose more men to suicide than to enemy hands overseas. Reeling, Jake looked for a way to direct their restlessness towards a new mission - and put their formidable skills to good use. When an earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, Jake had his answer. He convinced several fellow veterans to join him on a ragtag mission to provide desperately needed aid. Despite the high stakes, they were able to untangle complex problems quickly and keep calm under pressure.
In this raw, adrenaline-filled narrative, Jake recounts, how, over the past 10 years, he's built the disaster response organization Team Rubicon, and seen the work provide a lifeline back to purpose for the heroes among us. Not only do these intrepid volunteers race against the clock to aid communities after Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Harvey, COVID-19, and hundreds of other disasters they also fight for something just as important - each other.
Once a Warrior provides a soaring look at what our veterans are capable of - and what might become of America's next greatest generation.
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Critic reviews
"Once A Warrior is the book that America needs right now. Jake Wood’s life-changing experience is a reminder of the greatness of the American spirit and how, now more than ever, we need to activate that spirit for the common good."
—Tom Brokaw, journalist and author of The Greatest Generation
"One veteran’s call to action can change the world. A must-read for anyone who wants to better understand the struggles and opportunities that our warriors experience upon returning from combat.”
—Marcus Luttrell, author of Lone Survivor
"Once you taste the joy and fulfillment that comes from service, you’ll want to continue to serve, and Jake Wood proves it. Once A Warrior will inspire you to want to be a better human being."
—Simon Sinek, optimist and author of Start with Why, Leaders Eat Last, and The Infinite Game
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Airstrikes rain down, Gatling guns pound, and snipers lurk in the distance - welcome to the combat aid station of a young doctor embedded with the heavily weaponized First Marines Division as the Battle of Fallujah boils over. On the night of April 4, 2004, First Marine Expeditionary Forces launch a major assault on the city of Fallujah.
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New insight
- By Has worked so far for our road trip. on 03-07-24
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Operation Pineapple Express
- By: Scott Mann
- Narrated by: Lt. Col. Scott Mann
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 2021, an urgent call was placed from a Special Forces operator serving overseas. The message was clear: Get Nezam out of Afghanistan now. Nezam was part of the Afghan National Army’s first group of American-trained commandos; he passed through Fort Bragg’s legendary Q course and served alongside the US Special Forces for over a decade. But Afghanistan’s government and army were on the edge of collapse, and Nezam was receiving threatening texts from the Taliban.
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amazing, uplifting, heart wrenching
- By Lisa L. Weinley on 09-13-22
By: Scott Mann
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Legion Rising
- Surviving Combat and the Scars It Left Behind
- By: Jeff Morris, LC Mickler
- Narrated by: Jack Ares, Audra Buras
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Not everyone has pulled shards of another man's skull from the palm of their hand. Not everyone has stood over the bodies of friends whose lives were lost in an instant. Not everyone has struggled to face their own reflection for years on end. But anyone who has experienced trauma or adversity will resonate with Legion Rising, the unflinchingly honest account of an army officer's journey through combat in the Iraq War and rising beyond the scars that trauma leaves behind.
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The vivid memories
- By Chris Wright on 01-21-24
By: Jeff Morris, and others
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The Long Walk
- A Story of War and the Life That Follows
- By: Brian Castner
- Narrated by: Brian Castner
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two of them as the commander of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq. Days and nights he and his team—his brothers—would venture forth in heavily armed convoys from their Forward Operating Base to engage in the nerve-racking yet strangely exhilarating work of either disarming the deadly improvised explosive devices that had been discovered, or picking up the pieces when the alert came too late.
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Heart wrenching and a compelling read
- By J. Masters on 08-08-12
By: Brian Castner
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The Long Road Home
- A Story of War and Family
- By: Martha Raddatz
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 2004, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division were on a routine patrol in Sadr City, Iraq, when they came under surprise attack. Eight Americans would be killed and more than 70 wounded. Back home, as news of the attack began filtering in, the families of these same men feared the worst. This intimate portrait of the close-knit community of families Stateside, the unsung heroes of the military, distinguishes The Long Road Home from other stories of modern warfare.
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Narrator spoils this one
- By Four Bears on 12-09-07
By: Martha Raddatz
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Sons of War
- A Post-Apocalyptic War Thriller (The Sons of War Series, Book 1)
- By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Across the world, the United States recalls troops to combat civil unrest after the biggest economic meltdown in history. Marine Sergeant Ronaldo Salvatore’s platoon comes home to a powder keg that could ignite a civil war. While some see the coming collapse as the end, others see opportunity. Fleeing Naples after rival crime lords decimated his family, Don Antonio Moretti settles in Los Angeles to rebuild his criminal empire. But he is far from alone in his ambitions.
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A whole new story & a voice to capture us all
- By L.M. on 04-15-20
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All the Ways We Kill and Die
- An Elegy for a Fallen Comrade, and the Hunt for His Killer
- By: Brian Castner
- Narrated by: Brian Castner
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The EOD - explosive ordnance disposal - community is tight-knit, and when one of their own is hurt, an alarm goes out. When Brian Castner, an Iraq War vet, learns that his friend and EOD brother Matt has been killed by an IED in Afghanistan, he goes to console Matt's widow, but he also begins a personal investigation. Is the bomb maker who killed Matt the same man American forces have been hunting since Iraq, known as the Engineer?
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It was an eye opening book.
- By Travis Garrett on 10-09-17
By: Brian Castner
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Trident
- The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader
- By: Jason Redman, John Bruning
- Narrated by: Erik Bergmann
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Decorated Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman served his country courageously and with distinction in Colombia, Peru, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he commanded mobility and assault forces. But his journey was not without its supreme challenges. He was critically wounded in 2007 when he was struck by machine-gun fire at point blank range. During his intense recovery period, Redman posted a sign on his door, warning all who entered not to "feel sorry for [his] wounds."
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SEALS and Leadership
- By Pamela Dale Foster on 06-20-14
By: Jason Redman, and others
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American Heroes
- By: James Patterson, Matt Eversmann, Tim Malloy
- Narrated by: Joe Mantegna
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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U.S. soldiers who served in overseas conflicts—from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan—share true stories of the actions that earned them some of America’s most distinguished military medals, up to and including the Medal of Honor. They never acted alone, but always in the spirit of camaraderie, patriotism, and for the good of our beloved country. There has never been a better time for all of us to think about duty, sacrifice, and what it means to be an American hero.
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EXCELLENT
- By Wilson Che' Gray on 10-25-24
By: James Patterson, and others
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Cowboys Over Iraq
- Leadership from the Saddle
- By: Jimmy Blackmon, General David H. Petraeus US Army - Ret. - foreword
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Cowboys Over Iraq tells the amazing story of leadership, innovation, initiative, and a brotherhood that was forged in the crucible of combat during the invasion of Iraq.
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New perspective
- By N.M. on 04-08-24
By: Jimmy Blackmon, and others
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Zero Footprint
- The True Story of a Private Military Contractor's Covert Assignments in Syria, Libya, and the World's Most Dangerous Places
- By: Simon Chase, Ralph Pezzullo
- Narrated by: Eric Brooks
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Armored cars, burner phones, top-notch weaponry, and top-secret missions - this is the life of today's private military contractor. Like author Simon Chase, many PMCs were once the world's top military operatives, and since retiring from outfits like US Navy SEAL TEAM Six and the UK's Special Boat Service, they have devoted their lives to executing missions too sensitive for the government to acknowledge. Chase reveals here for the first time the operations too hazardous and politically volatile to be officially sanctioned by his employers.
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Read Amazon reviews, not Audible reviews
- By Andrew M on 02-22-16
By: Simon Chase, and others
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Corporal Cannon
- A Female Marine in Afghanistan
- By: Savannah Cannon
- Narrated by: Savannah Cannon
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Not even old enough to drink, Corporal Savannah Cannon is a young enlisted United States Marine deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2010. As a tactical data networking specialist, she is sent away from everyone she knows and attached to a Regimental Combat Team where women are not allowed to repair communications. Her experiences over the next few months shed light on the unique and difficult positions women are placed in when supporting combat roles, while offering a raw look at the painful choices women must sometimes make.
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amazing story
- By xxxxxxxx on 08-21-24
By: Savannah Cannon
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The Delta
- By: Tony Park
- Narrated by: Mark Davis
- Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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After a failed assassination attempt on the president of Zimbabwe, ex-soldier-turned-mercenary Sonja Kurtz is on the run and heads for her only place of refuge, the Okavango Delta in the heart of Botswana. She's looking to rekindle a romance with her childhood sweetheart, safari camp manager Sterling Smith, and desperately wants a fresh start and to leave her perilous warrior lifestyle behind. But Sonja discovers her beloved Delta is on the brink of destruction. Soon Sonja finds herself caught in a deadly web of intrigue....
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Amazing book
- By Lia on 12-16-10
By: Tony Park
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End of Summer
- Seasons of Man, Book 1
- By: S.M. Anderson
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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When a viral apocalypse kills 97 percent of the people on the planet, the survivors' humanity is hanging by a thread. Amid the leftovers of civilization, ex-Army Ranger Jason Larsen is reminded of the meaning of hope, family, and loyalty by a dog and a young boy who are as alone as he is. The survivors he seems to collect become family, and that is very bad news for those who think they run the apocalypse.
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Excellent book!
- By K. Rintala on 07-26-20
By: S.M. Anderson
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Places and Names
- On War, Revolution, and Returning
- By: Elliot Ackerman
- Narrated by: Elliot Ackerman, Mark Deakins
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Toward the beginning of Places and Names, Elliot Ackerman sits in a refugee camp in Turkey, across the table from a man named Abu Hassar, who fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq, and whose connections to the Islamic State are murky. At first, Ackerman pretends to be a journalist, but after establishing a rapport with Abu Hassar, he takes a risk by revealing to him that in fact he was a Marine special operation officer. Ackerman then draws the shape of the Euphrates River on a large piece of paper, and his one-time adversary quickly joins him in the game of filling in the map.
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A crazy ride through the Mideast.
- By Kent Prochazka on 12-05-19
By: Elliot Ackerman
What listeners say about Once a Warrior
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bill R
- 03-14-21
Wonderfully inspirational
Very impressive tale of a man just trying to be a good human and patriot, in his own words. Inspiring and a message of service to community. Great people doing great things.
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- SL
- 01-09-24
Wonderful
Highly recommend this book. It is so wonderful. I cried and laughed, I had not heard of Team Rubicon and will make it on my list of gifts.
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- Mon
- 08-28-21
A great story!!
Absolutely loved hearing Jake telling us his story in his own words and even better hearing it in his own voice. Great book!! I am a greyshirt and love what Jake and TR stands for.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Felicia
- 11-19-20
Thank you
Thanks for sharing your story brother, and thank you for all you do .
Semper Fi
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- linda tacy
- 11-16-20
Insightful, inspirational and honest.
I will be sharing and spreading the word! Jake tells his story in his most articulate and colorful fashion.
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- JMD
- 02-20-21
Heartfelt and impactful
This was a great book. It was not only the story of how team Rubicon got started, but also about some of the challenges with military to civilian transition. Jake did a great job with narration and telling his story. Team Rubicon is a great organization that is helping so many. Thanks for writing this book
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- Edan East
- 11-12-23
If only we all read this book
This is so much more than a book about combat and guns. The story he tells about people is the core to the true meaningful life and values. I will use the lessons he shares for free that are worth so much.
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- savy
- 03-26-21
Riveting
This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. Intensity and empathy through out. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Cody T
- 12-10-20
Inspirational and real!
I loved some stories in this book, and I hated some. At the end, my chest swelled, my eyes watered, and my heart was full and overflowing with inspiration!
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- Derek F Welsh
- 07-25-22
Absolutely Brilliant!
It was hard to take a break from this book. It’s a captivating look at the inside perspective of the US soldier during battle. Additionally it really clued me in on the generosity and importance of Team Rubicon. I highly recommend this to anyone!
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