Author of New Book Demonstrates the Importance of Veterans Continuing to Serve in Their Communities


BOSTON – With National Volunteer Week (April 10-16) upon us, Eric Greitens, author of the new book The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), demonstrates the importance of wounded veterans continuing to contribute to their communities when they return from duty.  As founder of The Mission Continues, America’s leading organization for helping wounded and disabled warriors continue their service at home, Greitens has seen first-hand how veterans who volunteer in their communities feel a renewed sense of purpose in their lives.  
 
Says Greitens, "Through service to others, veterans tap into their own strength. They turn their pain into wisdom and their suffering into strength. They find what it really means to live with the heart and the fist: through service, they help others and transform their own lives."
 
The Heart and the Fist recounts Greitens’ experiences on the frontlines of humanitarian service overseas, military training and war, and public leadership in the United States. As a Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Navy SEAL, Greitens worked alongside volunteers who taught art to street children in Bolivia and led U.S. Marines who hunted terrorists in Iraq.  He learned from refugees in Bosnia and Croatia, from survivors of the genocide in Rwanda, and from Navy SEALs who fought in Afghanistan. Upon returning from Iraq in 2007 after serving four tours on three continents, Greitens founded The Mission Continues “to build an America where every returning veteran can serve again as a citizen leader, and where together we honor the fallen by living their values through service.”  
 
Eric Greitens’ national book tour for The Heart and the Fist begins on April 11 to coincide with National Volunteer Week.  You can hear him on “Imus in the Morning” on April 13 and see him on “The Today Show” on April 14.


About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global education and learning company that is leading the way with innovative solutions and approaches to the challenges facing education today. The world’s largest provider of educational products and solutions for pre-K–12 learning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt develops and delivers interactive, results-driven learning solutions that advance teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Through curricula excellence and technology innovation, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt collaborates with school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and students. Today, HMH education products and services are used by 57 million students throughout all 50 U.S. states and 120 countries. With origins dating back to 1832, the Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. For more information, visit www.hmhpub.com.