Courage and Fear: A Primer

There is probably no better perspective of the courage/fear dichotomy than that of a combat veteran. When that veteran has fought in two wars and happens to be a recipient of the Medal of Honor, you can be assured he knows what he’s talking about. COURAGE AND FEAR is an interesting analysis of one individual’s experience in dealing with his fears and what it took to overcome them. While this primer is logically aimed at fellow Marines, the lessons he learned finding the courage to handle fear is applicable to anyone.The structure of this book is simple: Fox looks back on pivotal moments in his life when he overcame fear. As a Marine who served in both Korea and Vietnam, he plenty of moments to draw from, but he also lists many experiences outside the warzone that are just as palpable … from his fear of the dark as a child to jump training incidents that went awry (he logged over 1,000 parachute jumps in his career). With each account, Fox gives readers enough details to get an idea of the grave nature he was facing and a step-by-step analysis of his mindset throughout the experience. He lays out the lessons in a matter-of-fact manner and while the information is certainly valuable, the primer, as a whole, is a little dry. While the incidents Fox discusses are military-related, the process of overcoming fear is not an exclusive military issue and the lessons Fox presents could be appreciated by anyone. I especially liked the details behind several motivating and historical Marine quotes in the final chapter; these stories exhibit how an action-based mindset is what turns fear into courage and why the Marine Corps are such a formidable force.I like the purpose of this book and found Fox’s examples honest and interesting; it is not a chest-thumper. I have always been enamored with the steadfast pride that Marines have towards their service and Col. Fox is a fine example of this trait.

To look into the reality of the human perspective is always a hard thing to accomplish. But Col. Fox has again been able to break down the gut emotions of people not only from a combat sense, but he also relates it to every day life. The fears both, primal and everyday, are compared to the ability to act with both courage and conviction. It takes you deep inside yourself and makes you ask the tough questions about the acts of courage and our fears in our daily lives. I found the book both honest and straight forward. Col. Fox weaves a journey of his life experiences for you to not only explore but also to look at yourself in the daily fight or flight situations. From the Board Room to the sidewalk you will explore what and how to face what makes us walk on the human side of daily life. A good read for those who are not afraid of looking at themselves in Col. Fox's words and ideas.Semper Fi Col. Fox!

Good read

To my disappointment, I found this tiny book totally lacking in information about fear management or the enhancement of courage, which the author promises in the introduction. "Rah, Rah, Marines!" would be a more fitting title for this book, because it is filled ad nauseum with praise of the US Marine Corps and little else. As if that is not ill-chosen enough, it is done at the expense of other branches of the military. Has the author no shame?

Col. Wes Fox is an extraordinary man who had now written not one but two extraordinary books. A recipient of the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Vietnam, he has experienced combat and the fears that accompany it more than all but a small handful of survivors. (Brave men like Col. Fox don't lack fear -- they somehow summon the courage to overcome it and function effectively despite the fears that grip all sane people when their lives are threatened and (in his case) the physical pain of multiple wounds of battle.Another reviewer complained that he was obviously devoted to the Marine Corps. That's true. It is a common attribute of Marine combat soldiers, and I will leave it to the reader to decide whether such devotion and loyalty is a positive or negative character trait. (Marines also tend to have great love for this country. In no small part because of that, when bad things happen they rush to the front to defend their country. In pragmatic terms, that's one of the reasons we are free today -- including the freedom to write negative reviews about books written by people who have distinguished themselves far more than we can even dream of doing. (But perhaps it makes some feel better to attack such volumes.)When Wes Fox was a Colonel approaching retirement years, he would run the Marine PT 3 mile run and leave very able 18- and 19-year-olds in his dust. During his career, he jumped out of airplanes at high altitudes, fell through the air at the force of gravity, and then pulled his rip cord just in time to avoid death. These are called HALO (high altitude, low opening) jumps, and a lot of video game enthusiasts know about them. Wes Fox did that over 1,000 times in his Marine career.There may be medical books that discuss the physiological implications of intense fear and why some abandon hope and curl into a tight ball on the ground while others shout "Follow me!" and rush to confront the danger. This is not that book. This is a book by a man whose demonstrated courage against incredible odds saved the lives of many of the men placed under his command and defeated an armed and able enemy far larger than his own unit. It is a story of courage. If you love this country, it will likely inspire you--from whence do such brave men come?If you're not big on all that "patriotic" stuff and never really knew anyone who had been to war (or even served in the military), then perhaps it will just confuse you. Why on Earth would anyone volunteer to go to war in defense of their country and risk getting killed? Well, if you enjoy your freedom to say what you wish, worship (or not worship) the God of your choice, live under the rule of law, and have the many other benefits this country offers--then this book is also for you. Because without such brave men, you would not long keep those cherished rights.As John Stewart Mill observed: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."This is a book by one of those "better men." I urge you to read it.

Fox, a retired army officer, explains how brave he has always been. Perhaps so, but who cares?

Great read