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Stewart Blackwell
Stew Blackwell enlisted in the US Marine Corps right out of high school and deployed six times, including a combat tour to Marjah, Afghanistan, a rapid response mission to Sana'a, Yemen, Guantanamo...view moreStew Blackwell enlisted in the US Marine Corps right out of high school and deployed six times, including a combat tour to Marjah, Afghanistan, a rapid response mission to Sana'a, Yemen, Guantanamo Bay, and multiple Marine Expeditionary Units. He retired from active duty in 2016, after just under ten years of service. After returning to civilian life, Stew sought out contract employment overseas at the US Embassy and the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. He currently lives in Mississippi with his wife and two sons. In his debut book, Savages, Blackwell examines the culture of the small unit warfighter during the Global War on Terror's Enduring Freedom Campaign. His mission was to elevate the understanding of the armed forces for readers by presenting a view of military culture which is based on his years of experience and extensive research. Blackwell presents the legacy of the small unit warrior from his own experience in hopes that it will help aid in understanding this culture. Blackwell started at the beginning and defined the infantry as it is to those within it, complete with its own value system that directly contributes to the success of the force where it matters most-the battlefield. By describing key events in training and in Afghanistan, he immerses the reader in a vastly different society that values hardship, suffering, and deep, life-altering personal development over comfort and self-preservation. He brings to light the monumental differences between the roles of grunts and everyone else, as well as how the two groups were employed throughout the war, which can contrast starkly with how many civilians view them.view less