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Fontbonne to Host Bestselling Author Who Founded Veterans Nonprofit

Eric Greitens, an accomplished St. Louis native, will share his experiences and the lessons he learned as a warrior and humanitarian during a presentation at the Clayton university.

St. Louis native and New York Times bestselling author Eric Greitens will speak Wednesday at in as part of the university’s 2011 Dedicated Semester, “The Disability Experience: Quest for Empowerment.”

The event happens ahead of Veterans Day on Friday.

Greitens, a Navy SEAL, has an impressive list of accomplishments under his belt. In addition to the publication of his book, The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL, Greitens is a Rhodes and Truman scholar, a White House Fellow and the founder and chief executive of The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with disabled and wounded veterans.

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His book shares his story of extraordinary leadership and service as both a humanitarian and a Navy SEAL.

Greitens said the biggest lesson he learned through his military service and humanitarian work was that in order to create meaningful change, one must be both “good and strong.”

"When I returned from Iraq in 2007, I visited with wounded and disabled servicemen and women at Bethesda Naval Hospital,” Greitens said. “When I asked them what they wanted to do, each of them expressed, in their own way, that they wanted to continue to serve.”

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His discussion will feature a reading from his book, as well as a display of photos and video to illustrate his journey as a warrior and humanitarian.

Susan Lenihan, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of communication disorders and deaf education and the co-chair of the 2011 Dedicated Semester. She said that when planning events for this year’s Semester, Fontbonne partnered with several organizations in St. Louis.

“Eric Greitens’ work with veterans with disabilities through the Mission Continues Foundation aligns well with our goal of increasing awareness of opportunities for individuals with disabilities,” Lenihan said.

She said that Fontbonne’s mission includes preparing students to assume responsibility as citizens and leaders and that the 2011 Dedicated Semester will serve as an opportunity to develop this responsibility.

"Eric Greitens is an excellent example of someone who is providing leadership in support of veterans with disabilities, so we wanted to feature his work as part of our Dedicated Semester,” Lenihan said. “There are many veterans in the Fontbonne community including faculty, staff, students and alumni. We felt this event would increase awareness of the needs of injured veterans and ways that we could support Eric Greitens’ work."

Greitens said he is happy to have the platform because it highlights an important issue that is often overlooked.

“Our wounded and disabled veterans continue to be assets to our country, and their service is still needed," he said.  

The free event will be held at noon Wednesday. It is open to the public and will be followed by a book signing. Books will be available for purchase at the event. Reservations are suggested but not required. Those interested in attending may call 314-889-4571 to RSVP.

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