Imagine giving 20 years of service in the military reserve and when you hit that mark, you get a letter. An 8.5 x 11-inch piece of paper. You might wonder, is this 20-year letter all the legacy I want to leave?

It was this letter that sparked Ben Warner to write the book 20-Year Letter: An Afghanistan Chronicle. Through writing this book, Ben learned to be proud of what he was trying to accomplish. The publication process gave him a reason to reach out to the people that helped shape his military career. And Ben’s favorite part of the book is actually the feedback he receives from others who have had similar experiences.

To anyone out there thinking about writing a book, Ben’s advice is to just do it. 

A few short months removed from the events of 9/11, Lt. Warner is a young Army Reserve officer with a burning desire to serve. Presented with the opportunity to do so in the new Global War on Terror, he jumps into his new assignment full blast, oozing with patriotism, a lot of cockiness, and not much of a plan. But soon enough, he finds that his new normal will be clouded with uncertainty. New soldiers, new leadership, and a new geographic location are just the tip of the iceberg.

As the rear cargo door of the plane lowers to reveal a pitch-black Afghanistan night, the young leader encounters his first real challenge: simply leading the team off the airplane—over an airfield riddled with landmines. From there, 20-Year Letter follows Lt. Warner throughout the entire undertaking, chronicling the bad, the terrifying, the stressful, and even a little bit of the good. His tale is a comprehensive perspective of everything that isn’t glamorous about war.

Ben Warner is an experienced military veteran with more than twenty years of service in all facets of the U.S. Army. 20-Year Letter: an Afghanistan Chronicle is his debut literary work, and its genesis was nearly two years in the making. The original intent of this collection of short stories was to leave a legacy for his growing family, but it soon morphed into something more. Ben is in the final assignment of his military career, serving as a Command and General Staff College instructor, where he instructs, mentors, and develops the next generation of U.S. Army field-grade officers.

If you want to check out more of what Ben is up to you can connect with him on LinkedIn. You can also purchase his book here or send an email to mystory@20yearletter.com.

News 6 with Jolene

Disinformation Threat to National Stability

A newly released RAND report explored the prevalence of foreign disinformation being spread on social media, reported Task & Purpose. The report found that disinformation, which differs from misinformation, is a threat being used by adversaries to “advance their own interests in the United States.” Task & Purpose defined misinformation as “including false, incomplete, or misleading information shared without the intent to mislead a target population.” Disinformation was defined as “deliberately designed to mislead target groups of people.”

DoD: Masks Reinstated in High-Risk-for-Transmission Areas

The Department of Defense has reissued guidance to wear face masks for “employees working in areas at high risk for transmission” of COVID-19. The mask policy comes after an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country, largely attributed to the “fast-moving, high-transmittable Delta variant,” stated TRICARE.

DoD Revamps Career Website

Did you know that the Department of Defense is one of the largest civilian workforces in the country? It isn’t only made up of military members but also about 950,000 civilians. The DoD is working to get the word out that there are career opportunities through a their newly revamped website, DoD Civilian Careers.

Check out this week’s and other top stories here.

Resource Recon with Sarah and Amber

Social Media Scoop

Ever been curious about the volunteers who keep the website and podcast rolling? You can see all of their faces, their titles, and some fun clips by checking out our reel on Instagram. All 13 of us are represented. You can see Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda

Today we are showcasing Army Wife Network’s Platoon Member of the Month recipient – Rachel Evans.

On our Army Wife Network Facebook page, we recently had a post that stated – Military Life Truth: You’ve heard it hundreds of times in your life, but the National Anthem still puts a lump in your throat. Rachel responded with “Every single time. Lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.” Most of us can relate to how inspiring, empowering, and emotion the National Anthem can be.

Thank you Rachel Evans for being active on our social media and doing your part to empower military families across the globe.

Thank You

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode. Please leave a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts, then send us a screenshot of your review to info@armywifenetwork.com or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @armywifenetwork to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of AWN. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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