Touching The Dragon

From former special ops Navy SEAL senior chief, master naval parachutist, and expert military dog trainer and handler comes this fierce, moving tale of a return from hell.

On James Hatch's fateful final mission in Afghanistan, his SEAL team was tasked with rescuing Bowe Bergdahl--a soldier who deserted his post and fell into the hands of Al-Qaida and the Taliban--but they didn't recover Bergdahl, and Hatch was left with a shattered femur from a gunshot wound. As a result of the horrific wound to his leg, he had no choice but to end his twenty-four-year military career--the only life he'd ever known. In Touching the Dragon, he recounts his ordeal of getting well physically, which included eighteen surgeries, twelve months of recovery, and learning to walk again. But the toughest trials he faced weren't physical. He had to fight through the depths of despair, alcoholism, and the pull to end his own life. But through the love of family, friends, soldiers, and specially trained military dogs, he found a purpose and a way back to life, and was able to discover who he was apart from the chaotic world of special operations missions. His story is an eye-opening, inspiring tale that shines a light on the struggles and triumphs of our soldiers returning home.