Brothers Forever: The Enduring Bond Between a Marine and a Navy SEAL That Transcended Their Ultimate Sacrifice

Retired U.S. Marine Colonel Manion and Sileo, editor of The Unknown Soldiers blog, deliver the tragic tale of the former’s son Travis and Travis’s friend Brendan Looney, who met in 2001 when they served as midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. The men, both former football players, became best friends and roommates, although they eventually chose different military career paths: Manion joined the Marine Corps like his father; Looney opted to become a U.S. Navy SEAL. Travis Manion died on April 29, 2007, at age 26 ,while fighting in Iraq; Looney lost his life in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on September 21, 2010 at age 29. The moving story of these “two American heroes,” Tom Manion writes, is “representative of an entire young generation of men and women who answered the call to serve after the attacks of September 11, 2001.” This moving story is told well, albeit with the heavy use of reconstructed quotes, and it succeeds as a testament to the courage and dedication of two young men who are now buried next to each other at Arlington National Cemetery. Agent: E.J. McCarthy. (May)