Shannon Book grew up in the Kentucky hills, joined the Navy in the mid-1990s and spent 17 years as a Fleet Marine Force corpsman, including two tours in Iraq. He survived Fallujah running on coffee grounds and sheer grit. What nearly broke him came after.

When he was medically retired in 2010, the brothers he counted on had moved on, his marriage dissolved, and a years-long battle with alcohol and drugs nearly cost him everything. What kept him going — then and now — is music.

On this episode of Tango Alpha Lima, Book opens up about founding the veteran band Vetted, the dark night he pressed a handgun to his own forehead, the DUI that became his turning point, and the Veterans Court system that helped him walk out of that dark alley one step at a time. He's now sober, back in the studio, and sharing the message he once gave others from a stage — this time from a place of hard-earned experience.

Also on this episode: why traditional field screenings miss TBIs in combat zones — and the surprising food that became a secret weapon for fighter pilots.

Your stories. Your service. Your community. This is Tango Alpha Lima.

Show links

• Learn more about American Legion Family Day and share how your post is celebrating.
• Learn more about our guest, Shannon Book.
• Task & Purpose: TBI field screenings can miss key symptoms
• Learn more about the Millenium Protocol at TBI Help Now
• Watch Quiet Explosions documentary
• Read "Tales from the Blast Factory"
• Smithsonian: How a WWII propaganda campaign started the myth about carrots and night vision.