Travels with Harley: Journeys in Search of Personal and National Identity

by Christopher Holshek

Overview

Far more than an account of an 8,000 mile motorcycle adventure across the United States, Travels with Harley is a stirring memoir of an Army veteran's 30-year quest for peace, personal and national identity. Only through service to others, he learns, can Americans of all ages find their identity and step up to national and global citizenship, starting in their own communities, and move the country forward. As the nation struggles to find a pathway to its future, Colonel Holshek's positive and empowering message on citizenship, service, and social responsibility in and beyond America couldn't be more timely or needed. To promote national unity and help pass the baton of generational leadership, he has created the National Service Ride, a unique platform to connect youth to service learning, funded entirely through book sales. For more information, please visit www.nationalserviceride.net.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941758373
Publisher:	Inkshares
Publication date:	02/09/2016
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Christopher Holshek is a retired U.S. Army Civil Affairs colonel whose three decades of experience include the Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa. A leading “Veterans for Smart Power” member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Senior Fellow at the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and a Senior Associate at Protect the People, he served in multiple United Nations field missions in civilian and military capacities. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, PBS Newshour, and French Arte TV, and writes for Foreign Policy, The Huffington Post and other publications worldwide.

Table of Contents

Foreword 1

Introduction 5

1 South Carolina: "Please" and "Thank You" 13

2 Mississippi: Latitudes and Attitudes 27

3 Texas: "It's Like a Whole Other Country" 44

4 New Mexico: Old Post and New Posts 60

5 The Southwest: Humans and Hardware 77

6 Simi Valley: Guns N' Ideas 99

7 Liberia: Learning From the Outside In 113

8 The Pacific Coast: Builders and Artists 134

9 The National Parks: Strength at Home Is Power Abroad 152

10 From West to East: Control or Connectivity? 171

11 The Great Plains: Real Americans 189

12 The Heartland: Leaders and Citizens 216

13 The Homestretch: Is This a Great Country, or What? 236

Notes 257

About the Author 271

Acknowledgments 273

About Inkshares 276

Editorial Reviews

"In this multilayered memoir, body, mind, memory, machine, road, and scenery are linked and find balance... Travels with Harley is well worth the read for the journey it recounts." —Margaret Sullivan, The Huffington Post

"Travels with Harley is both a stirring memoir and a powerful call to find personal and national identity." —The Motorcyclist’s Post

"Travels with Harley could equally be titled, 'National Security and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,' including a set of ruminations on the history, geography, politics, and personalities of the United States. It is never clear where Holshek is going next, literally and figuratively, but the trip is invariably insightful and refreshing." —Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor Emerita of Politics & International Affairs, Princeton University, and President & CEO, New America Foundation

"In this riveting personal memoir that is one part memory and one part impressions from the seat of his beloved Harley, Colonel Chris Holshek takes us through both his fascinating career and his impressions of the nation he defended so well. Ride strong, and read this book!" —Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.), Supreme Allied Commander at NATO 2009-2013, Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and Author of The Accidental Admiral

"A well-crafted memoir that captures the tone of our times yet embraces timeless elements that contribute to defining who we are. Given voice by one of those who lived it, his experiences and reflections on what it means to be American in these times are both penetrating and refreshing—an antidote to pessimism and a reminder of what makes life worth living." —General James N. Mattis (Ret.), United States Marine Corps

"Travels with Harley is far more than a travelogue or a memoir. It is also a voyage of civil-military discovery that addresses the most critical lessons of Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan — that real peace means finding a level of national and community stability that can meet the psychological as well as physical needs of people in afflicted areas." —Anthony H. Cordesman, Burke Chair in Strategy Center for Strategic and International Studies

"Always thoughtful and often profound, Chris Holshek's observations are also exhilarating and inspiring. He is both a lucid historian and entertaining chronicler of his travels. However, his crowning achievement is his ability to editorialize on it all insightfully and controversially." —Robert V. Sicina, Executive in Residence at the American UniversityKogod School of Business and Former President of American Express Bank Ltd.

From the Publisher