Retired Marine Major, and #1 Best Selling author of Echo in Ramadi reached out to me to touch base with the #YearOfTheVet family, and fill us in on what he’s been up to since the last conversation between us!

Echo in Ramadi, describes Scott’s account during the winter of 2006 through the spring of 2007, where two-hundred-fifty Marines from Echo Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines fought daily in the dangerous, dense city streets of Ramadi, Iraq during the Multi-National Forces Surge ordered by President George W. Bush. The Marines' mission: to kill or capture anti-Iraqi forces. Their experience: like being in Hell.

During his career spanning ten deployments, he operated in over 60 countries worldwide.  Throughout his numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa he planned, led, and conducted hundreds of combat missions under some of the most austere and challenging conditions.

Scott is a published author since 2005. Echo in Ramadi is a snapshot in time that changed the face of operations on the battlefield; a captivating story of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines during the Second Battle of Ramadi in support of the Multi-National Forces (MNF) Surge Strategy in 2006.  His true-life account provides keen insights into what may be an unfamiliar world to readers, but very familiar to those, like Scott, who lived it and endured this historic fight.

The Return of Huesing - #1 Best Selling Author of “Echo in Ramadi”

Robert Graves is a Mental Peak Performance coach, Certified Hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner living in Southern California, focusing on Athletic Peak Performance training, and Military Transition Assistance. 

Leaving behind his 10-year Marine Corps career, he vowed to continue to help his brothers and sisters-in-arms, in order for those who served to become successful on the outside of the military, and "How to Grow a Beard: A Military Transition Guide Back Into Civilian Life," was born, which was written to share with transitioning veterans, the lessons he learned the hard way, during his own transition--sharing them with veterans, in order to help aid them toward successful transitions. The book turned into the #YearOfTheVet podcast, has now allowed Robert able to reach more veterans in hopes that his words and tactics can help even just one person can benefit from it. Because off his work with his veteran family, Robert was awarded the Outstanding Veteran of the Year Award in 2017, by the California DAV!

He has dedicated his time outside of the service, to learning and pursuing ways to help those in need (with special focus for adolescents who are looking for guidance for the future as well as veterans), while also structuring a foundational plan to open a Charter school focused on improving the lives of single parent and underprivileged families through a curriculum that incorporates life skills and mindfulness tools. 

"I understand that looking for someone you can trust with your life and deepest emotions is hard. As your teammate... my focus is on your success. Because if you believe it, you can achieve it. And I believe you can achieve." (corny... but true)