Warrior leads kids into new kind of fight

The two sides of Eric Greitens are revealed in his books about what’s he’s done and what he’s doing.

A warrior in uniform, Greitens was deployed four times as a Navy Seal and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He’s also a warrior in civvies.

At the conclusion of his 2011 book “The Heart and the Fist,” Greitens explains how he came to found the nonprofit organization The Mission Continues, which challenges wounded and disabled post-9/11 veterans to continue their service as civilians. The organization offers vets stipends to offset cost-of-living expenses, mentors them to make plans after the stipends run out and rebuild their lives by serving their community and making the community stronger.

	“The Heart and the Fist – The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy Seal” by Eric Greitens Mariner, $15.95, 313 pp.

In his new book, “The Warrior’s Heart – Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage,” Greitens suggests a mission for young readers similar to what The Mission Continues has been doing for veterans – giving them a sense of purpose.

At recent talks to middle and high schoolers, Greitens said he answered questions about overcoming fear, about his military training, his service in Iraq and his volunteer aid work in Bolivia, Rwanda and Croatia.

“I have these ‘choose-your-own-adventure-like moments … that I believe make the book more engaging for young people,” he said in a phone interview.

The book’s intention is to empower youngsters. It suggests they start by visiting www.ericgreitens.com/warriorsheart and download their Mission Planning Guide, which he developed with Youth Service America.

The website, he said, also has a guide for teachers, coaches and guidance counselors with lessons about such character-building issues as grit and resilience.

“The guide has straightforward and simple steps for kids to take their passions and interests in order to create their own mission and service in their own school and community,” Greitens said. “I am saying, ‘Take one step at a time. The world is waiting.’ By reading ‘Warrior’s Heart,’ kids can ask, ‘What kind of person should I become?’ ”

Greitens received the 2012 Charles Bronfman Prize as “the visionary founder” of The Mission Continues. The award goes to an individual whose work is informed by Jewish values and has a global impact.