Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior
with Ron Levinson and Malcolm McConnell
The powerful unvarnished memoir of General Hugh Shelton, war hero, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during 9/11, and one of the leading military figures of our time.
Whether serving under a Democratic president or a Republican president, General Shelton was never afraid to speak out and tell it like it is. Shelton chronicles his incredible journey from a small farming community in North Carolina to the highest level of American military and political power at the Pentagon and White House.
As one of the nation’s elite Special Forces soldiers, Shelton was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for injuries suffered when a booby trap drove a poisoned stake through his leg. Shelton was assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne Division as they invaded Iraq, then led the 20,000 American troops tasked with restoring Haiti’s deposed President to power. Promoted to 4-star General, he became Commander in Chief of U.S. Special Operations Command (including Delta Force, Navy SEALS and other top secret Special Mission Units).
As chief architect of the U.S. military response to 9/11, General Shelton speaks frankly of how decisions were made behind the scenes in the inner sanctum of the E-Ring and Oval Office, and reveals key military operations and meetings that have not yet been revealed.
BOOK SIGNINGS
Please contact Joe Rinaldi at St. Martin's Press (below) to schedule signings.
| Recent Venues | City |
| Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC |
| Quail Ridge Books | Raleigh, NC |
| Ft. Hood | Ft. Hood, TX |
| Borders, Preston & Royal | Dallas, TX |
| Barnes & Noble | Framingham, MA |
| Barnes & Noble | Edina, MN |
| Barnes & Noble | Charlotte, NC |
| Barnes & Noble | Fayetteville, NC |
| First Baptist Church | Morehead City, NC |
| Ft. Bragg | Fayetteville, NC |
| Ft. Benning | Ft. Benning, GA |
| CENTCOM | Tampa, FL |
Available on all major online booksellers -- Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble -- as well as your local bookstore.
"General Hugh Shelton rose in rank through hard work, personal bravery, blunt candor, and never ducking responsibility. True to form, his memoir is unfailingly honest and unflinching in judgment. Without Hesitation tells the story of a man who earned every break he got, kept his integrity intact, and never let the pressures of the job outweigh the strength of his convictions."
—PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
"Hugh Shelton's life is a great American story of humble beginnings, fierce determination, patriotism, and honor. He's been a warrior's warrior, a general's general - and always a truth teller. Without Hesitation is a book for our times."
—TOM BROKAW
"General Shelton is a man from another time, when honor and one's word were more important than personal gain and the fiscal bottom line. I hope there are more like him out there. We need them now, more than ever."
—TOM CLANCY
Highlights
• High-ranking Cabinet member proposes intentionally allowing an American pilot to be killed by the Iraqis to have an excuse to retaliate and go to war.
• Internal battle lines are drawn in a contentious Camp David meeting among President George W. Bush and his National Security Council immediately after 9/11.
• Rumsfeld persuades General Tommy Franks to bypass the Joint Chiefs, leading to a badly flawed Iraq war plan that failed to anticipate the devastating after-effects of the insurgency and civil war.
• Attempts to kill Usama bin Laden are shot down by our State Department.
• CIA botches high-profile terrorist snatches, leaving Shelton’s Special Operations teams to clean up their mess.
• Shelton “persuades” Haiti’s dictator to flee the country.
• And much more.
BOOK REQUESTS
St. Martin's Press
- 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
- 212-674-5151
- 646-307-5565
- joseph.rinaldi@stmartins.com
Press & Bookstore signing inquiries
Joe Rinaldi, Director of PublicityPERSONAL STORY
It's Shelton’s amazing personal story that puts his military career in perspective. It began with a fall from a ladder in his backyard, resulting in total paralysis from the neck down — and a risky experimental procedure, so dangerous that if it didn’t cure him, chances are it would kill him.
Revealing, compelling, and controversial, this is the story of a man whose integrity and ethics were always above reproach, and who dedicated his life to serving his country.
CHECK IT OUT
- Read an excerpt
- Listen to audio excerpt
- as read by General Shelton.
Special Market Sales
- Jaime Ariza, VP, Special Markets
- 646-307-5446
- jaime.ariza@macmillan.com
International and Additional Rights
- Doug Grad Literary Agency, Inc.
- 718-788-6067
- doug.grad@dgliterary.com
CO-AUTHORS
General Shelton is interviewed by co-author Ron Levinson at the general's home in Morehead City, North Carolina.
RON LEVINSON is a veteran film and television producer, director, writer, and studio executive. A past board member of the U.S. Air Force Public Advisory Counsel (where he counseled the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force on motion picture and television production), he currently lives in Los Angeles.
MALCOLM McCONNELL is the author or co-author of twenty-nine books, including the New York Times #1 bestseller, American Soldier, with General Tommy Franks. McConnell lives in Queenstown, MD.