About Me

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I'm the author of four books: Warrior SOS, The Work of Death, Together Forever, and Leaders Wanted. I'm in the doc film Please Remove Your Shoes. I've blogged for The Washington Times, and I write for Guns.com. I've worked for the high-profile U.S.-led Roadmap to Mideast Peace in Israel and Palestine. I've also worked as a SWAT team leader, a Federal Air Marshal and a sole-source training instructor on a classified contract with a U.S. government customer. My master's degree is in Military Studies and terrorism. I'm a former noncommissioned and commissioned Army officer, with service in Iraq. I've been Scuba diving and skydiving; I have trained with members of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team, and I'm an FBI-trained crisis negotiator. My interests lie in helping others and in strengthening America through inspiring moral courage, government fiscal responsibility and accountability, and maintaining principles that have made--and will continue to make--the United States of America a blessed and prosperous country. I'm a father of six, a husband, and a police officer. I reside in Utah, and I'm a Mormon. See also https://jeffreydenning.wordpress.com.

May 13, 2013

Tell My Sons - Lt. Col. Mark Weber


During Lt. Col. Mark Weber’s medical screening to deploy to Afghanistan, the 38-year-old father of three was told he had stage IV intestinal cancer. He wrote a blog, outlining his struggles, www.TellMySons.com, and eventually wrote a book along those same lines. I was recently able to read excerpts from that book, Tell My Sons, the same name of the blog. Wow. These are the words that tug on the heartstrings. 

One story he mentioned was of his son who tried out for and was granted an opportunity to sing a solo during a high school concern. The song was a ballad about an American Civil War soldier, telling an unknown messenger to tell his father he had become a man and that he should not cry for him. The son, “Tell My Father,” goes in part like this:

“Tell my father that his son didn’t run...or surrender. That I bore his name with pride ... as I tried ... to remember ... you are judged by what you do, while passing through. 

“Tell him we will meet again ... where the angels learn to fly. Tell him we will meet as men, for with honor ... did I die.” 

Reading Mark Weber’s remarkable love for his sons and his emotional maturity and goodness really made my day. 

It also reminded me of my own late brother-in-law, John Cloninger, a military officer and combat veteran who also was diagnosed with stage IV cancer, which eventually took his life. He was the reason I started Warrior SOS. I think of his very young six fatherless kids, my little sister who’s now a widow, and the legacy of love he left for his children. In a similar way, perhaps, of Mark Weber’s story, I have also created this blog (Warrior SOS) and have a book that will be published very soon with the same title: Warrior SOS -- Interviews, Insights and Inspiration. The book is currently being edited and will be out soon. I hope hundreds, if not thousands of people will read it. 

The great thing about Warrior SOS, the book, is all of the amazing warriors and people who were interviewed for the book. They told their stories and opened up in ways that aren’t easy to do. The book also includes the words of John Cloninger and is dedicated to his memory. Additionally, I included the faith, advice, counsel and love of his young widow. It’s simply amazing and I’m excited to get it published soon. 


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

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