Faith of Our Sons: A Father's Wartime Diary

Frank Schaeffer is a fantastic author and an excellant speaker. I met Mr.Schaeffer at a convention in Indy and he's very passionate about our military! This books lets the reader feel what it's like to send a son off to war. It's a must-read for everyone today whether you have a family member serving our country or not. We all know someone serving.

As the brother of a Marine who has recently come home from Combat, I can vouch for the realistic portrayal that this well written volume offers of the inner life of those who stay behind. Frank and John Schaeffer's two books really tell it like it is. Like Frank and his family, I was (and am) so proud of my brother, and yet like them, I really suffered knowing what might happen to him. Reading this book confirmed for me just how devastating it would be to my own parents if anything where to happen to my brother. Frank is willing to go where so few men are willing to go in his open discussion of the feelings of love, pride and fear he has concerning his son and the affect these feelings have on his relationship with the other members of his family. I have watched fights in my family that I know were not about a burnt dinner but really about no email from my brother for a week. Frank reveals what so many of us know; we can watch ourselves do things and know that we are not in control; we can even know why we are not in control and yet still be powerless to help ourselves. Despite this somewhat dark insight I felt uplifted by this book. This is a slice of my life. I suspect it is a slice of the American experience.

I am the father of a Marine. He went to war in Iraq. No one seemed to understand what this put my wife, three daughters and me through... until, that is I read Frank Schaeffer's incredible book "Faith Of Our Sons."This book has to be read by anyone who has ever loved a soldier, marine, airman, coast guard or sailor. It also should be read by anyone who loves really great writing. For those like me who discovered Schaeffer through his wonderful and warmly funny novels, "Portofino," "Zermatt" and "Saving Grandma," it is amazing to discover that he his also the father of a marine. "Faith Of Our Sons" takes us from deployment through home comming and beyond. It plumbs the depths and the heights of family life lived on the edge of worry, the sleepless nights, the untasted meals. It is compassionate and boldly honest. It will take your breath away. Frank Shaeffer is one of America's literary treasures. Read this book!

Kudos to Frank Schaeffer. He has eloquently and honestly chronicled what so many of us with loved ones in the United States Marine Corps have gone through during this war. I couldn't put down the book that he co-authored with his son while my brother was at Parris Island and as soon as I found out that he had a new story to tell I purchased this book. It has not disappointed me. It is another book that I couldn't put down. The roller coaster ride that starts the minute you find out that your loved one is going to be deployed sometimes seems like something that only you are going through but after reading this book I can see that this is a shared experience. This book has helped to validate what my family has felt and gone through. If you have a loved one in the military (even if you don't) I recommend reading this brave, intimately honest account of the Schaeffer family's experience.