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All American: Football, Faith, and Fighting for Freedom
by Robert Mcgovern
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (2008-03-01)
ISBN: 0061244155
EAN: 9780061244155
Dewy Decimal #: 355
Paperback: 352 pages
Release Date: 2008-02-26
SKU: 08070169
Condition: Good As issued no ja
Comments: Trade Paperback. Good condition with no markings. No highlights, underlines or notes in text. No creases to spine or cover. Minor wear to cover.Somewhat cocked else very good. Tight binding and clean crisp text. Nice copy.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Captain Robert McGovern epitomizes all that is right and good in America. One of nine children growing up in a New Jersey family, he made local headlines as a high school football phenom before becoming a star linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots. When his illustrious NFL career was over, he earned a law degree from Fordham University and went to work for the New York City district attorney's office. From that vantage point he witnessed close-up the fall of the Twin Towers on that world-altering morning in September 2001—an event that inspired him to leave public life and join the U.S. Army to better serve the country he loves. As a military prosecuting attorney, Captain McGovern has advised battlefield commanders on legal rules of engagement in Afghanistan and has prosecuted suspected terrorists in Iraq. A dedicated soldier and a man of faith who has been on the front lines of the War on Terror—both at home and in the Middle East—Captain Robert McGovern is an extraordinary American with a remarkable and important story to tell—one that every American needs to hear.
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Customer Reviews
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Robert P. McGovern: Striving to Be the Best that He Can Be
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-12-21
0 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
Captain Robert P. McGovern had to work extraordinarily hard to survive roughly four seasons in the NFL. He was no more than a marginal player and had to constantly worry about being cut. It is safe to say, that McGovern was the last one picked and the first one released. He truly became the best that he could possibly be. His strong work ethic served him well as a both a prosecutor and U.S. Army officer.
The leftist establishment slanders our soldiers as usually some sort of social reject or even psychotic. Capt. McGovern is living proof that this is utterly false. His story is well worth reading. You may wish to provide a copy to the younger people in your family. It should motivate them to also aspire to greatness. Those like myself who never served in the military have a particular obligation to thank McGovern for his self-sacrifice and dedication on behalf of our country. May God bless him.
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a moron for the ages
Rating  (1)
Date: 2007-09-23
0 out of 12 customers found this reveiw helpful
This simpleton of a jerk-off & his ilk are EXACTLY what is wrong with my country. I cannot f+cking wait to leave this country & never return. Enjoy your fascism.
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Autobiography and Apologetic
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-09-20
4 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
Several reviews I have read have come down hard on the author for his stand on the war in Iraq. But this is his autobiography, the story of his life, and his opinion of the war is just one part of it. It is a well-written account of his childhood, his family, his education and his aspirations, and continues into his adulthood to the present time. He lets us know how he was trained by his parents to be unselfish and give back to the community some form of service, and this was undoubtedly the motivation for joining the Army Reserve, and eventually finding himself on active duty in Iraq.
A good part of his story comes before that. He was competing with his older brothers in athletics, trying to be as good as they had been in high school football, and then in college football. He received an athletic scholarship from Holy Cross, an enormous accomplishment in his eyes, and he was grateful for the opportunity. And then came pro football, four years of it on three different teams. He was pretty good at it, but not outstanding. He simply was not big enough (hefty, bulky) to be a great linebacker. He was thankful for this chance to make the big league, but took the advice of one of his coaches to give it up. From there he decided to study law and with his law degree took a job as an Assistant DA in New York City. Then came 9/11, to which he was an eyewitness. In his role as a US Army Reserve officer he volunteered to help. Immediately following, he applied for active duty, leaving his job as assistant DA, and became a prosecutor for the Judge Advocate General Corps, and then deployed to Afghanistan and later to Iraq. His experiences there were extraordinary because he was involved in the trial of Hasan Akbar, the US Army Sergeant who killed two Army officers and wounded a number of others when he threw hand grenades into the tents of the soldiers.
This is a well-written account of the life of a man who became a soldier in the US Army. Why would anyone find it strange that he has strong opinions in favor of the war in Iraq ? It is his contention that we are there as part of the war on terrorism. The patriotic feeling that he had on 9/11 was something that almost all of us shared at that time. For him it continued; for many of us it disappeared.
Should we still be in Iraq? That is a matter for debate, which has been ongoing for some time now. Captain McGovern feels that we are making a difference, and that is why we are still there.
This book is certainly worth reading, if only to gain some insight from a different perspective.
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RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "YOU AND I ARE THE "ALL-AMERICAN'S" THAT CAPTAIN McGOVERN IS TALKING ABOUT!"
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-07-25
6 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
The life story of Captain Robert McGovern, is almost "Forrest Gump" like. Rob is one of nine Irish Catholic children, born to Howard and Terry McGovern in New Jersey. Though born in New Jersey, if I were to describe his morals, character, and upbringing, I would describe it in the highest of terms, that most Americans would consider as "mid-western". One of the many, emotionally uplifting themes in this book, is the absolute, enduring, love, and respect, that Rob, constantly proclaims for his parents. He was raised from the beginning, to have high goals, and his older brothers got football scholarships to Holy Cross, as Rob also did later on, but with less fanfare. Just as importantly, he and his siblings were raised to "service" the community. To give something back, and Rob continued this process in college at Holy Cross and while in the National Football League, with outreach programs. When Rob graduated college, no one gave him a chance of making it in the NFL. But he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, as an undersized, underdog, linebacker, and special team's player. He lasted a few years with numerous teams, making the most of his non-star ability. The way he accomplished this, is with dogged, determination and dedication. To quote Rob: "Being the best at what you do has to be more important to you than partying or chasing girls or hanging out with your buddies. It has to be worth sacrificing the comforts and pleasures of an undirected life and replacing them with long hours of sweat and tears. In football, it also helps to be one tough character." At the end of Rob's short NFL career, he attended law school, and upon graduation, became an assistant D.A. in Manhattan. In keeping with his personal goal, of giving service to his community/country, he also joined the Army Reserves.
Then, on the forever-fateful day, of September 11, 2001, Rob was on the way to work in Manhattan, when he saw the smoke, and the planes, at the World Trade Center. He couldn't get to work, so he went home and put on the TV, and heard an announcement, that military men were needed at "ground-zero" to help look for bodies. Even though he was in the reserves, he donned his uniform, and went to "ground-zero", and helped recover the remains of victims for days. Rob, happened to be there, when President Bush arrived, and shook the Commander In Chief's hand, and was so moved, he decided he wanted to go on active duty and help America fight back. Because Rob was 38 years old, they wouldn't let him go on active duty. He persisted in every way possible, and was finally accepted as a Judge Advocate General. (JAG) He proceeded to go to Afghanistan and Iraq and assisted in "Rules Of Engagement" (ROE) enforcement. From there, he went in to criminal prosecution. He wound up on the successful prosecution team, that convicted Sergeant Hasan Akbar, probably the worst, United States Military criminal, in the last 30-40 years. To refresh your memory, Akbar, was the traitor, who the night before, we were going to launch Operation Iraqi Freedom, attacked his comrades, with grenades and small-arms fire. He wounded more than a dozen troops. Two were dead.
There is much more, to the life story, of a man who loves his country, loves his family, loves God, and has dedicated his life to enforcing freedom throughout the world, but let me conclude my review, by having Rob tell you why he named his book "All American". "You might wonder about the use of "All-American" in the title. First of all, let me say off the bat that I'm not talking about myself here. What is an "All-American" anyway? I've met some real "All-Americans- quiet, unassuming, heroic people who inspire students, protect us from crime, and defend our values. They are "All-American" in every sense of the phrase. I chose this title in part to pay tribute to these "All-American", I've been lucky enough to meet and work with through the years. I also chose it to pay special tribute to the men and women of our armed forces, especially those in the 82nd Airborne Division. That famous unit happens to be called the All-American Division."
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Extraordinary
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-06-07
2 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
An extraordinary account of one good man standing tall for the best of American values.
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