Surrender or Die!: Reflections of a Combat Leader

In this book you will find my story as a kid from Iowa who joined the military and rose to the senior most enlisted position in the entire US Armed Forces, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC) through an almost 38-year career. I discuss key issues of living this warrior life including leadership, combat, PTSD, resilience in the face of adversity, and the importance of family. I will discuss my time as the SEAC and my focus of delivering the strategic “why” to the troops and the pulse of the force to the Chairman, Secretary of Defense, Congress, and the Administration.

John Wayne Troxell joined the US Army after graduating from high school and served for almost 38 years culminating his service as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC). His service included five combat tours to include the combat parachute assault in Panama during Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield/Storm in Iraq, two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and one in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Troxell created the term and program PME Hard (physically, mentally, and emotionally hard) to maximize battlefield performance and save lives and created the E Tool Nation, based off of his inspirational ultimatum to terrorists of “Surrender or Die” or face death by bombing, getting shot or if need be, beaten with entrenching tools! In his post military life, he serves multiple businesses as a consultant, ambassador, or advisor. He and his wife Sandra have been married for 39 years.