A Life Not Worth Living: What Combat, Courage, and Fatherhood Taught Me About Finding Inner Peace
Paperback
Publisher Price: $16.99
ISBN13: 9781971949482
Publisher: Peaceful Profits
Published: Jun 23 2026
Pages: 318
Weight: 0.81
Height: 0.67 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
This book tells the story of how I learned my life had value.
It begins in Placerville, California, with a restless kid who lost his mother young and never felt fully settled at home. At fifteen, the Navy gave me a path before I had the maturity to understand what I was stepping into. What followed was a twenty-one-year career shaped by engine rooms, war zones, dive lockers, salvage ships, deep-water operations, and the hard discipline of becoming a Master Diver.
Along the way, I stepped into many roles: recruit, Machinist Mate, engineer, diver, instructor, supervisor, ship driver, consultant, businessman, sailor. But the role that changed me most was father. Curtis made life bigger than my own ambition. Breezy, born with spina bifida, taught me how to adapt the world instead of shrinking her place inside it.
This is a story of pride and regret, humor and shame, fear and calm, achievement and loss. It is about carrying bodies after an attack, trusting my own voice to save a diver, earning the right to lead, losing the structure of the uniform, and learning that medals, rank, money, and titles cannot tell a man what he is worth.
I did not stop loving risk. I still sail, dive, fly, travel, and choose hard things. What changed is why I choose them.
This is not a book about becoming fearless. It is about preparing well, paying attention, stepping in when it counts, and refusing to make life smaller before you have even tried to live it.
If you have ever felt restless, behind, afraid, or unsure of your own worth, this book is an invitation to stop standing at the edge of your life.
Dive in.
Also from
Perkins, Thomas
The Abbey Churches of Bath & Malmesbury and the Church of Saint Laurence, Bradford-On-Avon, Volume 2
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Handbook To Gothic Architecture: Ecclesiastical And Domestic For Photographers And Others (1897)
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory: A Short History of Their Foundation and Description of Their Buildings
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
The Cathedral Church of Saint Albans: With an Account of the Fabric & a Short History of the Abbey; Volume 28
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
A Short Account Of Romsey Abbey: A Description Of Fabric And Notes On The History Of The Convent Of Ss. Mary & Ethelfleda
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Der Perkins-Shakespeare [The Copy of the 1632 Folio With Annotations Ascr. to T. Perkins]
Perkins, Thomas
Mommsen, Carl Johann Tycho
Hardcover
Der Perkins-Shakespeare [The Copy of the 1632 Folio With Annotations Ascr. to T. Perkins]
Perkins, Thomas
Mommsen, Carl Johann Tycho
Paperback
The Abbey Churches of Bath & Malmesbury and the Church of Saint Laurence, Bradford-on-Avon
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
The Abbey Churches of Bath & Malmesbury and the Church of Saint Laurence, Bradford-on-Avon
Perkins, Thomas
Hardcover
The Cathedral Church of Amiens: A Short History and Description of Its Fabric
Perkins, Thomas
Hardcover
The Cathedral Church of Amiens: A Short History and Description of Its Fabric
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
The Cathedral Church of Manchester; a Short History and Description of the Church and of the Collegi
Perkins, Thomas
Hardcover
The Cathedral Church of Manchester; a Short History and Description of the Church and of the Collegi
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory: A short history of their foundation and description of their buildings
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Handbook to Gothic Architecture, Ecclesiastical and Domestic, for Photographers and Others
Perkins, Thomas
Hardcover
The Abbey Churches of Bath and Malmesbury: And the Church of Saint Laurence, Bradford-on-Avon
Perkins, Thomas
Hardcover
An Itinerary of the English Cathedrals for the use of Travellers
Perkins, Thomas
Gilchrist, James Grant
Hardcover
Wimborne Minster And Christchurch Priory: A Short History Of Their Foundation And Description Of Their Buildings (1902)
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
An Itinerary Of The English Cathedrals: For The Use Of Travelers (1905)
Gilchrist, James Grant
Paperback
Wimborne Minster And Christchurch Priory: A Short History Of Their Foundation And Description Of Their Buildings (1902)
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory: A Short History of Their Foundation and Description of Their Buildings, Volume 43
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
Handbook To Gothic Architecture: Ecclesiastical And Domestic For Photographers And Others (1897)
Perkins, Thomas
Paperback
An Itinerary Of The English Cathedrals: For The Use Of Travelers (1905)
Gilchrist, James Grant
Paperback
Also in
Military Biographies
The Phantom: The Untold Story of the American Marine the Nazis Could Not Kill
Clavin, Tom
Drury, Bob
Hardcover
Band on the Run: Xenophon and the First Great Mercenary Army's Epic Escape from Persia
O'Connell, Robert L.
Hardcover
Never Call Me a Hero: A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway
Kleiss, N. Jack Dusty
Orr, Timothy
Orr, Laura
Paperback
Retribution: A Us Marine's Fight for Justice, from the Russian Gulag to Ukraine's Front Lines
Reed, Trevor
DeFelice, Jim
Hardcover
George Washington's One-Man Army: The Life, Legend, and Battles of Peter Francisco
Palmer, John T.
Hardcover
Bird Men: The Rise of American Airpower and the Machine That Ended World War II
Baime, A. J.
Hardcover
Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown
Blehm, Eric
Paperback
Ortiz's War: The Allies' Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France
Reynolds, Nicholas
Sanders, Katie
Hardcover
Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them
Sullivan, Spencer
Sodais, Abdulhaq
Paperback
The Lazy SEAL: How a slacker made it through the toughest military training on earth and how you can too!
Khol, Nathan
Paperback
American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant
Tyson, Ann Scott
Paperback
Tidal Wave: The Pilots, the Princess, and the Enemy Ace - A True Story of Courage and Survival in WWII
Makos, Adam
Hardcover
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission
Collins, Eileen M., USAF (Retired)
Ward, Jonathan H.
Hardcover
One is a Warrior: The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi
Martinez, Harry R.
Hardcover
Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior
Stockdale, James B.
Paperback
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant Volume 1/2: Large Print Edition (Large Print Edition)
Grant, Ulysses S.
Hardcover
The War They Won: The Story of World War II, as told by Those Who Were There
K. Kistler, Lt Hobart
Hardcover
The Road to Unafraid: How the Army's Top Ranger Faced Fear and Found Courage Through
Struecker, Jeff
Paperback
The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War
Molloy, J. T.
Donohue, John Chick
Paperback
Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II
Edsel, Robert M.
Hardcover
Raising Athena: A Mother and Daughter Attend West Point Thirty Years Apart
Shattan, Mylinh Brewster
Hardcover
Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire
Katz, Jonathan M.
Paperback
The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World
MacIntyre, Ben
Paperback
Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance
Grdovic, Mark
Paperback
Every Man a Hero: A Memoir of D-Day, the First Wave at Omaha Beach, and a World at War
DeFelice, Jim
Lambert, Ray
Paperback
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden
Owen, Mark
Maurer, Kevin
Paperback
As the Pentagon Burned: Leadership and Human Excellence in the Face of the 9/11 Attack
Klimow, Ambassador (Ret) Matthew S.
Paperback
Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them
Sodais, Abdulhaq
Sullivan, Spencer
Hardcover
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
Kyle, Chris
McEwen, Scott
DeFelice, Jim
Paperback
The Naval Academy - A Parent's Ponderings from Home Port: Untying the Bowline on I-Day
Wade, Steve
Paperback
Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
Waugh, Billy
Keown, Tim
Paperback
The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army
Lockhart, Paul
Paperback
The Last Hill: The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle That Defined WWII
Drury, Bob
Clavin, Tom
Paperback
The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won't Tell You about What They've Seen, Done or Failed to Do in War
Sites, Kevin
Paperback
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant Volume 2/2: Large Print Edition (Large Print Edition)
Grant, Ulysses S.
Hardcover
The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy Seal Leader (Large Print Edition)
Redman, Jason
Bruning, John
Paperback
No Ordinary Dog: My Partner from the Seal Teams to the Bin Laden Raid
Chesney, Will
Layden, Joe
Paperback
One Man in: The Explosive Firsthand Account of the Lone Special-Ops Commando Who Fought Off a Major Terrorist Attack in Kenya
Craighead, Christian
Hardcover
American Sniper: Memorial Edition (Large Print Edition)
Kyle, Chris
McEwen, Scott
DeFelice, Jim
Paperback
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
To End All Wars: A True Story about the Will to Survive and the Courage to Forgive
Gordon, Ernest
Paperback
Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
Schilling, Dan
Longfritz, Lori
Paperback
The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy) (Large Print Edition)
McRaven, William H.
Hardcover
One is a Warrior: The Relentless Fight of an Army National Guard Sniper Team in Ramadi
Martinez, Harry R.
Paperback
Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961
Reynolds, Nicholas
Paperback
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Luttrell, Marcus
Paperback
Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent
Berman, Larry
Paperback
Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich
Webster, David
Paperback
In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Paperback
Own Your Resilience: An Army Leader and War Widow Shares Tools to Live with Courage and Joy
Sileo, Tom
Ballou, Jennifer
Hardcover
The Invisible Veteran: Rediscovering Purpose, Identity, and Connection After Service
Kidder, Kevin
Paperback
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall
Willner, Nina
Paperback
World War II Generation Speaks: The Things Our Fathers Saw Series, Vols. 1-3
Rozell, Matthew
Hardcover
Then All Hell Broke Loose: The Odyssey of a Marine Corps Photographer in Vietnam
Fisher, Dennis
Paperback
A Soldier's Life: A Black Woman's Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion
Cummings, Edna W.
Hardcover
Wielding the Trident: Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and America's Victory in the Pacific
Blackley, Andrew K.
Hardcover
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Large Print Edition)
Hillenbrand, Laura
Paperback
African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan
Lockley, Thomas
Girard, Geoffrey
Paperback
The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear Into Your Superpower
Curran, Michelle Mace
Hardcover
The Swimmer of Auschwitz: The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam for His Life
Leblond, Renaud
Paperback
The Fate of the Generals: Macarthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines
Horn, Jonathan
Paperback
The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea--The Forgotten War of the South Pacific
Campbell, James
Paperback
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General
Dugard, Martin
O'Reilly, Bill
Paperback
