Dear Friend,

This year was truly one for the history books. When I rang in the new year with my wife and son, I had no idea what 2021 would have in store for our nation, our democracy or for me personally.

I had no idea when I awoke early in the morning of January 6th, what that day would hold for us, and how my Marine Corps training would kick-in again and help me serve and safeguard colleagues and staff in the midst of an insurrection.

When I think about January 6th and how we went into that day with one idea of how it would be, and emerged with a completely different reality, it reminds me of enlisting in the Marine Corps and being unexpectedly thrust into the reality of the Iraq War, not the idea of it.

Even though it’s been over fifteen years, some of the memories and experiences of that time and my service still feel fresh. There are few days, even now, when I don’t think about that time of my life, and the men I served with, and the realities of war and the scars, both visible and unseen that have stayed with me and the men of my unit who survived.

The pandemic put many things in perspective for most of us, and for me, it brought me to a place where I knew I needed to share the experience of Lima Company — the hardest hit unit in the Iraq War — with others. That is why I wrote They Called Us "Lucky". >> [[link removed]]

I didn’t want to write this book, but I knew I had to. I wrote this book because the men I served with deserved to have their stories told.

The things we did for this country, the things we’ve lived through for this country, no one can ever truly understand, unless they’ve lived it, but I tried my best to tell the story of who we were then and what we’ve experienced since then, including the challenges we’ve grappled with as a result of our service.

I want people to remember that when we send people off to war, they are not nameless people and my only hope is that this book reminds Americans that there is not only a war abroad, but a war at home all veterans face when they return. Whether you read this book or not, I also hope you will check-in on the veterans in your life and offer them renewed recognition and support.

This book for me is one of the many silver linings of 2021 which started out with a shock to our collective systems, but has ultimately been filled with many professional and personal blessings. I am grateful for it, and for the enduring support of so many friends, family, colleagues and supporters.

As we close out 2021, I wish you and your loved ones a healthy and happy holiday season and the best for the coming year.

-- Ruben

"My Marine Corps service was about service for me. It was one of the purer things I did in my life—not for money, not for ideology, just for my country. It will always be that." —They Called us "Lucky" by Ruben Gallego with Jim DeFelice




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Use of military rank, job titles and photographs in uniform do not imply endorsement from the Department of Defense.