Hiding in Plain Sight

The Truth About Trauma, Service, and the Way Forward

De: Doug White, Michelle White

Narrado por: Doug White

This Book Is For You If You Are Still Carrying the Weight of Service-Related Trauma

This is not just a memoir. It's an apology letter for the damage done, a love letter to the woman who stayed, and a map for anyone trying to find their way home.

Hiding in Plain Sight is not another war story or celebration of strength-it's a brutally honest account of how thirty years of service as a veteran and first responder slowly dismantled one man's identity, marriage, and sense of self.

Doug White opens up about post-traumatic stress injuries, emotional collapse, and the fallout of a life spent serving others while ignoring his own breaking points. But this isn't a story about trauma-it's a story about growth, honesty, and the long road back to being whole.

If you're a spouse, partner, or loved one of someone who serves, this is the book you give them when you can't find the words. And if you are the one still carrying the weight-this is the book that tells you:

You're not alone. You're not broken beyond repair. And it's not too late to become the person your family still believes in.

Hiding in Plain Sight is not just a story-it's a bridge. One that connects silence to understanding, suffering to growth, and warriors to the ones who never stopped loving them.

Perfect for:

• Veterans and first responders in transition
• Military and responder spouses looking to support their partner
• Listeners seeking real, raw stories of trauma and redemption
• Those ready to grow through what they've been through

This isn't just Doug's story-it's the story of every home strained by service, and the message that growth, love, and restoration are still possible.

Give it to the one who's still hiding, or listen to it to understand the one you love.

©2024, 2025 Jerry D. (Doug) White (P)2025 Jerry D. (Doug) White

It’s ok to be vulnerable

Most of those in Doug’s shoes are still holding back their feelings and vulnerability. This book is paving the way to help veterans and first responders feel ok with opening up to help others on their journey while starting to heal their own broken roads!

powerful and impactful!

This isn't just a memoir.It's a powerful confession of the cost of service, and the power of finding growth in adversity.

Raw and Real... a must listen

Doug does an amazing job of articulating the trials and trauma of Military and First Responder Life. This is a must listen.

A must read for first responders

An eye opening experience from a first hand perspective. Highly recommend for any first responder or anyone considering the profession.

Genuine

One of the book’s strongest elements is its authenticity. White writes with a sincerity that feels unfiltered yet skillfully composed. His ability to weave together anecdote, insight, and introspection makes the book resonate on multiple levels. Whether discussing moments of vulnerability or triumph, he does so with a voice that is both grounded and compelling.

Gut Punch: Finding a Path to Redemption

A truth to power journey into one First Responder's soul. You will have a ringside seat to real-world career experiences that presented both professional and personal challenges. While visceral, all is not lost. Author Doug White adeptly shows you "The Way" towards a path to healing and peace. A must have book for those seeking answers from the front line of life.

Read a book, save a life...

My wife and I raised 3 cops. 1 is also a combat vet. 1 is also a long-serving EMT and firefighter. Our only daughter, Abby, was killed by a cop "boyfriend". While not a cop, I'm somewhat cop-adjacent now due to my anti-OIDV (Officer Involved Domestic Violence) advocacy. This isn't about me though, it's all to say that I come at Doug's book from what may be a different perspective. There are lessons in here for non-LEOs too. You see Doug worked for the same LE agency that my daughter, Abby worked for, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Abby & Doug actually worked out of the same District III office for a time. I even met Doug briefly after she was killed. He remembered that, I didn't as I was in a fog. That agency let Abby down. They betrayed her. I think they betrayed Doug too. He gave everything to them & they showed no grace in taking all that they could from him. In the end though, Doug has risen, Phoenix-like from the ash heap they kicked him into. He has remarkably reassessed his life & managed to wring out of the dried-up hulk of his (very human) mistakes, and that agency's cruel reactions, some truly inspiring & life-altering/life-saving insights. Rather than just paying lip-serving to the notion of "officer wellness", Doug animates the reality of what it means and how it could work. While Doug once only talked-the-talk (of officer wellness), w/o walking it, he came to realize that you actually have to take care of yourself. YOU have to make the call. F the stigma, the BS pressure to keep low, suck it up, go along, silently suffering. You'll be no good to those closest to you, your family, even your agency-if you don't. He understands, with every fiber of his being, why there is no shame in making the call. He's still every bit the knuckle-dragging goon he viewed himself as (no offense Doug!) but he's mentally & emotionally intact now too. He's back in his life, managing it and enjoying it with his family - not helplessly watching it all crumble passively. He got help - thanks to Michelle. Cops, being (shocker) people, they are not immune to the 800-1000 PTSD inducing traumatic events they experience in an average career vs. the very few the average civilian will experience. We all know deaths from suicide by cops outstrip LODs each year on average. If every cop read Doug's book, I truly believe that could and would dent those numbers. Doug gets it. LE command staffs could learn from his story. LE officers/deputies, could learn something, see or hear something that might save their own lives. Read this book. You'll never look at a paper cup the same afterwards either. Bruce Bieber

Candid and openess

I am fortunate enough to have been lead by this gentleman and while his revelations are surprising, I still learned alot from him and I owe alot to him. While he was fighting his own battles still had the ability to guide me and provide me solid guidance that I am thankful for to this day. The courage it must take to open up and show your vulnerability by documenting " Hiding in Plain Sight" im not sure if I could do it. For those in high stress occupations I think this is one of the most raw and realest books that you will pick up or listen too. This read will solidify HEROES come in all forms and are forged by years of private and public battles that you go through by the help of friends and love ones. Great Read and highly recommend!!

Whoa! Living Out Louad, and Healing Out Loud.

On the edge of my seat for 5 hours! The power of storytelling in making sense of experiences, finding growth, and doing the work is apparent in Hiding In Plain Sight. This is what leadership looks like.

If you want to understand what first responders go through, this is the book for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really powerful listen. Doug’s honesty about his struggles, the stories he shares, and how he pushed through them made this book stick with me. I’m glad I picked it up.