Historian horne studies war, and in democratic by design, Gabrielle Metcalf explores the way the sharing economy is creating social change. Look for these titles in book stores this coming week and watch for the authors in the near future on booktv. Booktv attended a public party for author and Time Magazine columni joe klein. His latest book charlie mike profiles who veterans, Eric Greitens and jake wood, who created Public Service organizations after leaving the military. Mr. Klein visited with guests and took part in a panel. Thats what this book is about. And syria. No, no, we need them here. I see what you mean. We dont have many of them come back and theyre not talked about creating a wage for people who have had those experiences in military service, some sort of formal credit that can transfer. Ive been fighting this fight. Im a journalist for Everything Else but only for the next year, but im a lobbyist when it comes to these kids, and i have been trying to get the administration to start a program that would give them licenses for their skills before they get out. We need 70,000 welders in the country, and there are plenty of welders coming out of the military. Then the have to pay money and go to school. If they come but with a credential thats sensible. , who is against that. I tell you. The unions. Not just the unions but the state bureaucracies because the state licensing commissions dish was talking to kashich, and i said, you know what it takes to become a welder in ohio . 10,000 in training. The guys who drove me over mines in kandahar province, i think they can handle el. Heed said youre absolutely right and nothing happened. One who likes to make things happen. Talk to marco metcalf, a representative from arizona, and all of these veterans the issue of getting them like on border security, and somebody that would be very simpatico senator from virginia, really mark warner. No, the other win. Tim kane, ding, ding, ding. Very interesting. He is we have had casual conversations about this. He is a really good guy. You think this is one area you can get bipartisan support . No one will supposedly being run out of the first ladys office. The first lateys office. You thinking might be joe biden because he is more into the involved in the military. I dont think anybody has gotten tremendously into the my son, chris, served in baghdad with beau. They knew each other. Thank you for documenting this. They said to me, simon and schuster, two guys who are linked by a tragedy who go on to start these fabulous Public Service organizations, one of them is Eric Greitens, and is running for governor of missouri as a pro gay rights republican. And pro human rights. Proimmigration. He is running against a republican. And one of his First Mission six months of Public Service for wounded veterans if they come up with a one of is first fellows was jake wood, who is the founder of he and his best friend became a fellow and developed wow. And they didnt make it. And so the book is the story of them, and how how they adjusted their organizations, really changed them. This is the [inaudible] there are couple jonathan carp said to me, you write novels. Write me a novel. A nonfiction novel. So there was no in this book at all. [inaudible] [inaudible] jake was going to be here but his wife has surgery scheduled for tomorrow, so he cant be here. Eric is doing fundraising, he cant be here. But hell have well have some cool people from both organizations. When i go around the country in some cases jake is not only a former navy seal, and probably the only navy seal who ever worked for mother at the race mother teresa. Navy seal. Rhodes scholar. And he and because of the fact [inaudible] designing those events with service projects. Nice. [inaudible] a lot take place in the middle east. [inaudible] terminal two is where all the [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] youre absolutely right. The same thing in vietnam. Come back [inaudible] the theory was that they were doing the insurgency, and i said to myself, theyre going to come back with a i called petraeus, and he said i hadnt thought of that. He said, think youre probably right. So he and went to work and found the people. Really. The fact is, acknowledged in the same paragraph and not in the same sentence. [inaudible] making a movie about you . Now, heres the guy you got to meet. [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] the main thing was when i gave him [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] i hadnt been out in an area that was 90 taliban controlled. I do that now. How are you. How do you like it . I like it a lot. Thats great. We have to get together and talk about it. These guys, these guys you should really be getting to spend more time with because theyve had trouble with usaid in the past. Trying to coordinate with them. Theyre so good at doing disaster relief. Theyre brilliant. And i was there today. [inaudible] [inaudible] a veteran who has been setting up combat surgeries throughout the third world to help people out, civilians out, in conflict situations. He also runs Emergency Services in the city of in north carolina. In my presence he once tourniqueted jon stewart. He invented a new kind of tourniquet. [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] i got to say, the greatest experience of my life, and writing this book. [inaudible] a lot of folks dont realize, great soldiers and marines and most we create veterans. We have 120,000 soldiers. Win you downsize, they want the american dream. We offer g. I. Benefits so youre not going to get 90 of them according to the poll want to continue to serve in the army. Thats right. Thats what we are [inaudible] i cant remember the name of the captain. But i had studied at leavenworth with petraeus and i was watching them [inaudible] and i this kid is under fire, and he could go run for governor of iowa. So, i called petraeus and i said, you know, this counterinsurgency training is preparing these kid for Public Service, and he said, i hadnt thought about that. And so he started helping them find [inaudible]. I know. [inaudible] hi there, folks. Good evening. I just wanted to warmly welcome many fojs, friends of joe, and also i feel really fortunate to call many, many of you longtime friends, from government in washington and now as a new chapter has begun. Its so good to see all of you, and welcome to im extremely grateful to him for having hosted this. Ill say more about that in a moment. You know, as joe and i have been talking in recent weeks about doing this here in washington, it occurred to me that in every ear use in American History there has been a tremendous infusion of character and strength into the citizenry of the united states, and they are these men and women, tempered by war, as we all know well, from multiple deployments, have made extraordinary contributions to what and who we are as a country and as a people. And most recently, in the last 14 years, in iraq and afghanistan, and also other places, they have fought to keep us secure, and as we have so often found, and as joe has written about so eloquently in charlie mike, once they returned home theyve on more often than not return to their communes and try to answer the questions, how can i continue to serve here and now that i transitioned and out of uniform . People like Eric Greitens. Jake wood. Many who are here tonight who have served. We tried to essentially charlie mike or continue the mission in your own way, and i think this is ultimately why were all here tonight, for joe, for the content of the book. Its essentially to recognize an outstanding generation of returning veterans, to hear the Inspiring Stories of these men and women and how theyre making choices to continue to serve, and i also think how reflect upon or consider how we essentially hear that call to service, how we engage in, as joe would say, active citizenship, here in our own lives. One of the things i wanted to do right now, a word about franco before we proceed with joe and the panel and several of our corporate sponsors who i will ask to come up and say a few words. Franco is someone we know, and a host, sophisticated, intelligence, entrepreneur, tip polite, philanthropist so many meaningful things the does and the legendary cafe. One thing that is so interested about franco that people dont often know is how dedicated and committed he has been to our service members, and to our troops as they return home, and in fact, he has done this under the radar, and obviously not in any sort of public way, but he spent during the height of both wars a lot of time at walter reed on weekends, talking to Wounded Warriors and their family, again, off the radar. Thats where you know its the real deal. I cant think of a better partner in crime, as i like to call us. I cant think of anyone for whom i have mow respect for, and bringing together this Awesome Group of people tonight. So i want to say, franco, thank you very much. I want to invite you to come and offer a few words, and im really, really, really appreciate your commitment and how you have made that manifest again here tonight. So, franco, if you want to say a few words, please. [applause] by now you already know my name. Welcome to my home. Of course i will give a welcome to all of you. It is my privilege and honor to host for joe klein. A journalist and an awardwinning author. First of all, let me thank the sponsors for their generous support. I like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to the honorable james david goingen, general gene jones. Julian glover, and congressman seth walton, and the last but not least, wendy anderson. The soul of these events. And for most of you dont know, she traveled to italy last week. To rome. And spend a lot of hours. Thats the reason you got this. [applause] she is really incredible, and extraordinary, her passion brings us together, so, very special thank you to you, wendy. And now, let me express my gratitude to joe klein for his book, and to him very proud to host you, joe. There is no greater responsibility as an american than to acknowledge the men and women who have given everything to serve and protect us, to guarantee our freedom and security. Joe kleins charlie mike is a real tribute to our veterans. A moving and detail of life and death. Page after page, the stories of eric, and jake, fills our heart with hope. For the first time we see emerging from the battlefield, a story of lives saved. Not devastated. This book is a positive spur for all of us, and so are these two combat veterans who are continuing their mission by helping others. So, thank you, joe, for this powerful and magnificent book. Thank you. [applause] all right. About to throw you over to joe and a great group of folks, veterans, who are going to speak with him. I just wanted to say, its really clear to me that joe is inspired to write money charlie mike because of the time he spent imbed with our folks and observed soldierses and marines not just fighting but building things, governments, helping revitalize communities, and helping people, and i think he recognized very clearly through the content of the book that this generation of veterans was going to have a very strong inclination and natural desire to continue to serve and lead back here at home. From the start, he has clearly recognize this is the folks who are their assets and potential leaders, theyre seasoned leaders, theyre people who are living lives of consequence, and that they have something as a group and as individuals, something very profound to teach all of us about the way that we participate in our democracy and act as citizens in the 21st 21st century. Thats really what the message is, i think what i take the message to be eye charlie mike and the reason were gathered here today. So ill introduce joe klein. Thank you. [applause] well, im kind of blown away. Thank you so much, wendy. Thank you franco, thank you to the sponsors. I want to thank all my battle buddies from the wars of New Hampshire and iowa and afghanistan and iraq who are here tonight. I see mike boettcher, who i was with afghan in and i know there are people out there who i have spent many, too many nights in iowa and New Hampshire with. And i also of course want to thank the veterans here. Thank you for your service has become kind of a cliche. Too often its thank you for your service, but im not sure im going to hire you because you are screwed up, arent you . And so i will thank you for your service, but i want to add four very important words. These four words were first utter bed i Eric Greitens as after he goss ebola up and asked the wounded there, what do you want to do next . I had the same experience in military hospitals. The always say the same thing. I want to go back to my unit. And then you ask them, if you cant, or when you get out of the service, what do you want to do . Theyd say i want to go back and maybe Coach Little League team, or teach, or become a cop, or a fireman. And in fact, the polls show that this extraordinary generation, 90 of them want to continue on want to charlie mike, continue their service when they come home, and so eric, and in a moment of brilliance, which is not unusual for him found himself saying to these kids, who said they wanted to continue to serve, the following four words, which i say to the veterans here now we still need you. We really do need you in this country. Because of your values, your discipline, your sense of community, your sense of purpose. Now, you may wonder how an old political reporter like me got involved in this. And so ill tell you a quick story and then invite the panel up here. Wendy is right issue wouldnt be here tonight if i hadnt been there, but i wouldnt have gone there if i didnt live in a town just north of new york city where nine of my neighbors didnt come home on the night of september 11th. I thought i had retired from journalism. Turned out i retired for eight months and 11 days, and had to get back in. For me, journalism has always been an education, and i had to learn the military and had to learn intelligence and had to learn islam, i knew the region some but lad to learn that better. During the course of this i opposed the war in iraq but i thought once we were there, we had a moral responsibility to at least calm things down and let the iraqis set their own stage. And things were going bad and i wrote a column about counterinsurgency strategy. Military folks here know all about it. Maybe some of the civilians. The basic principle was that instead of playing walk amole whackamole and trying to find the bad guys, wed protect the good guys, protect the public. So i wrote this column, and the next day i got a call from a guy named David Petraeus. Who had been cast into the outer darkness by donald rumsfeld. One of the worst Public Servants we have ever had. Sent him out to forth leavenworth, the armys think tank, and there petraeus was concocting the counterinsurgency doctrine, and he said, look, youre on the right track but you dont know anything. He said, you want to learn . And i said, yeah. He said, well, ill send you a reading list. Immediately in my 30 articles about counterincentury general count insurgency from scholarly national alls and he asked me if i wanted to study with them, and i said sure. I went out there the ground rule was it was all off the record but could i ask anything i wanted. I began to learn there about the spirit of the military. For example, i might ask the question, and one of his brilliant circle of advisers, all of whom seemed to rhodes scholars, one of them would signed, klein, dip didnt you read the article about warfare . At one point one of them looked at me and said, clip klein, youre too lacy to lazy to even tie your shoes right, and the only response to that and their intelligence in and a government i didnt think was paying enough attention to them, was to fall totally in love. And so i kept in touch, and six months later David Petraeus was sent to iraq to try and patch things up. And i said, when do you want me to come . Much to my wifes dismay. And he said,ll let you know. And i first went in june of 2007 to iraq. I imbed thread and went on patrol that, and i got caught up in it, and as wendy said most of my imbedding in afghanistan and most of my imbedding in afghanistan in one town, just west of kandahar, crucial choke point and taliban central. Two towns over from omars home town. And i first imbedded with a captain named jeremiah ellis, in charge of 13 other troops, and was essentially the mayor of the town, and his job was not only to protect them, but also he had public works money, funds, and so for the first time in human history, the afghan residents were asked, what would you like us to build . What would you likes to do with this money . And the overwhelming response was, they wanted us to reopen the schools the canadians built and that the taliban closed and booby trapped. And the overwhelming response of the council and the local warlord was they wanted us to build an irrigation ditch out to lands west of town, where we later found out through intelligence the warlord made a deal with the taliban to grow poppies. The school is open. The irrigation ditch was not built. It was a day, a very specific day, when we were about to launch the operation, to take the school, and i was with captain ellis, and he was trying to convince the local landowner, who owned a twostory building in town, to allow some of our troops to take an oversight position to make sure the taliban didnt come in the night before and set an ambush. And this guy was based in detroit. He wanted the school reopened. But he also feared that if it got to be known he had american troops and was harboring american troops, the taliban would kill hem. They were hanging people from trees in that region. And i was watching jeremiah ellis, sitting crosslegged, helmet off. Rifle over leaning against the wall. Smiling but not too much. Body language, absolutely perfect. And convincing this guy to do it. I said to myself, my god, he can go back to iowa and run for governor. And so when i got home i called general petraeus and i said, ive had this i think this counterinsurgency training the army and marines get is preparing this generation for Public Service. As well as for entrepreneurism. He said i never thought about that, and he became obsessed with is in and he and others o