Honor Held Dear: My View from the Bridge Wing

What motivates people to follow the lead of another person--to sometimes suppress their own fears, desires, and needs and to adopt a leader's vision as their own? It's a question that anyone in, or who aspires to, a leadership position should ask.

In this uplifting and often humorous account, Captain Alan Eschbach, USN (Ret) reflects on his life experiences and how he used them to create his own code of leadership, behavior, and ethics. Using snapshots of his early life in the tiny village of Rawlinsville, Pennsylvania and recollections from the navy, from SEAL training to captaincy of the guided missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, Alan shares his insights into what can be gained by working without compensation, the pain and joy of leaving the comfort of home and community, and the value of repeatedly testing one's physical and mental limits. Most importantly, this book is an account of how an unwavering commitment to personal honor and integrity, and an even greater devotion to serving others, can lead to positive change.

Honor Held Dear: My View from the Bridge Wing is a portrait of leadership as a calling. Moreover, it's a challenge to leaders everywhere to take stock of their leadership styles as a measure of their understanding of sacrifice and duty.

Last, it is Alan's way of saying thank you--to the community and people who shaped and inspired him, and to everyone who granted him the great privilege and profound honor of leadership.

Alan Eschbach was raised in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside, where he learned the value of hard work, and developed a profound commitment to personal integrity and servant leadership. He earned his undergraduate degree from Millersville University, and holds master's degrees in national security and strategic studies, and business administration. Alan was selected as a distinguished graduate as part of Millersville University's Sesquicentennial celebration, and was the recipient of the Vice Admiral Bulkeley Leadership Award from the Surface Warfare Officer's School Command. He served on six ships, and was commanding officer of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) and USS San Jacinto (CG 56). Since retiring from the navy in 2005, Alan has worked as a senior analyst and subject matter expert, specializing in briefing navy staffs on maritime security operations. In addition to the successes of his sailors, Alan's greatest life achievement is being loved by his five children and stepchildren, his wife, Susan, and their two pugs, Winnie and Wilma.