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Counting on Death: A Marine Infantryman's Journey from the Front Lines of Combat to the Fight for Peace
Author(s): Joshua Shores (Author), Kelsey R. Thompson LtCol (Foreword)
- Publisher: Casemate
- Publication Date: September 4, 2025
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 160 pages
- ISBN-10: 1636245706
- ISBN-13: 9781636245706
Book Description
One of the most violent cities of the Iraq War.
At just nineteen years old, Marine Infantryman Joshua Shores found himself fighting house-to-house in a brutal urban insurgency where every street corner could mean life or death. Written from notes taken during deployment and reconstructed from vivid memory,
Counting on Death delivers a raw and unfiltered account of life on the front lines.Serving with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Shores takes readers deep into the daily reality of Marine infantry combat — patrols through hostile neighborhoods, the chaos of firefights, the constant threat of IEDs, and the brotherhood that forms when survival depends on the Marine beside you.
But the war does not end when the deployment does.
Beyond the battlefield,
Counting on Death confronts the invisible wounds carried home from combat. Shores shares the difficult journey of reconciling the violence of war, the burden of survival, and the struggle to find purpose and peace after returning home.Brutally honest and deeply personal, this memoir captures both the intensity of modern urban warfare and the long road Marines walk when the fighting stops.
Inside this powerful Marine Corps memoir, readers will discover:
* The reality of infantry combat in Ramadi during the Iraq War
* Leadership and decision-making under extreme pressure
* The unbreakable brotherhood forged between Marines in battle
* The emotional and psychological cost of surviving war
* The struggle to rebuild a life after combat
For readers of
With the Old Breed, House to House, and American Sniper, Counting on Death offers a gripping firsthand account of modern war and the enduring strength required to carry its memory.This is not just a story about fighting a war.
It is the story of surviving it.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Major Fred Galvin, USMC (Ret.), author of “A Few Bad Men”
“A dedicated U.S. Marine takes us on a truthful journey through combat and his own search for meaning.”
“
Counting on Death is a raw, unfiltered memoir that pulls you into the heart of combat and the quiet, crushing battles that follow. Joshua Shores delivers an unforgettable account of war, trauma, and the cost of survival. Challenging the glorification of war and honoring the complexity of those who fight, this book marks a vital contribution to the war on terror.”Mikael Cook, author of “Life and Death at Abbey Gate”
“Josh Shores’s
Counting on Death details his Marine Corps service in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is revealing, riveting and often heartbreaking. His firsthand account of patrolling the market area in Ramadi in a high-back Humvee and the consequences of being at the receiving end of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is written in such a way that the reader will be able to experience it. Shores excelled in combat and was promoted through the ranks to staff sergeant, yet in his memoir, he often speaks of his mistakes, poor choices, bad behavior and the toll it took on his personal life. His introspective has been years in the making and it took a great amount of courage to tell it in the hopes that future veterans will benefit from it.”Christy W. Sauro Jr., author of “The Twins Platoon” and “The Legacy of the Twins Platoon”
“
Counting on Death is not just a war memoir—it is a reckoning. Joshua Shores offers a brutally honest account of his service with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines in Ramadi, Iraq, and the lingering battles that followed him home. This book lays bare the internal moral injuries that so many combat veterans carry but rarely voice. It is a courageous and unflinching meditation on guilt, brotherhood, survival, and the long road to healing. Shores doesn’t glorify war—he interrogates it with raw clarity, calling us to confront the cost of our decisions in uniform and as a nation. Every Marine, every American, should read this.”Lt. Col. Thomas Schueman, best-selling author of “Always Faithful”
