In Search of the Warrior Spirit, Fourth Edition

Teaching Awareness Disciplines to the Green Berets

By: Richard Strozzi-Heckler, George Leonard - introduction

Narrated by: Kirk Magoon

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Is it possible to be a mindful, moral fighter at a time when impersonal, technology based warfare reigns?

In Search of the Warrior Spirit confronts this thorny issue with Richard Strozzi-Heckler’s trademark personal, sympathetic style.

In a top-secret U.S. military experiment, the author was asked to teach Eastern awareness disciplines ranging from aikido to meditation to a group of twenty-five Green Berets. This account chronicles his experiences in the training program and his attempts to revive traditional warriorship in a technological society.

In Search of the Warrior Spirit explores the nature of war, the meaning of masculinity, and the need for moral values in the military. The book includes Heckler’s response to 9/11, his experiences with the Pentagon and U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and his poignant reflections on the movie Black Hawk Down, which depicts the deaths of two of his trainees.

In this revised edition, the author talks movingly of his visits to Afghanistan with NATO and about the Trojan Warrior Project and Marine Warrior Project, relating the tragic events in a war zone and revelatory conversations with both ordinary soldiers and such leaders as the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe.

©1990, 1992, 2003, 2007 Richard Strozzi-Heckler (P)2023 North Atlantic Books

Critic reviews

"In my personal opinion, Strozzi-Heckler hits the mark in identifying one of the most troubling problems affecting today's U.S. military forces: the ascendancy of technology at the expense of moral values that underpin the true spirit of the Profession of Arms. A must read for those among us who really consider themselves warriors."—Michael E. Haas, Lt. Colonel, United States Air Force; Head, Air Force Special Operations

“What a story this is! Strozzi-Heckler’s chronicle of the army’s daring experiment in awareness training for twenty-five Green Berets is must reading for anyone interested in the role of the warrior in a technological age. But more than that, it is an illumination of courage and vulnerability and what it means to be a man. I couldn’t put it down.”—George Leonard, author of The Silent Pulse and The Ultimate Athlete

“The Marine Martial Art program grew out of the conviction that every Marine must be imbued with the values that have sustained the Corps throughout its 227-year history—honor, courage, and commitment. These warrior values are at the heart of Richard Strozzi-Heckler’s work with the Marine Corps and the other services to strengthen those who go in harm’s way in order to preserve our freedom. In Search of the Warrior Spirit reminds us of how urgent that task is.”—R.D. Hearney, General, United States Marine Corps (Ret.); former Assistant Commandant

Deep thinking but entertaining in a narrative. This should be on the list of classics of personal development.

The narrator was good and the performance was nuanced. But a number of mispronunciations were fairly distracting.