• Grace Under Fire
  • About the Book
  • Book Tour Schedule
  • Reading Group Guide
  • WaterBrook Edition (w/Bible Verses)
• Media Information
  • Press Release
  • An Interview with the Editor, Andrew Carroll
  • Andrew Carroll Bio
• For Churches & Other Places of Worship
  • Sermon Ideas
  • Book Giveaway for the Troops
• The Legacy Project
  • About the Legacy Project
  • Preserving Your Letters
  • Activities for Families
• Letters Exhibit
• Supporting Our Troops
• Contact Info
• Buy the Book

Book Giveaway for the Troops

In partnership with churches across the country, Andrew Carroll, the founder of the Legacy Project, is organizing a massive giveaway of GRACE UNDER FIRE: Letters of Faith in Times of War to American troops as a “thank you” gift for their service. Although churches were the first to express enthusiasm for the idea, synagogues and other places of worship are certainly invited to join this national effort as well. (Civic organizations, companies, schools, fraternities/sororities, book clubs, and similar groups or institutions are also encouraged to participate.)

The giveaway itself is very simple. Pastors are encouraging their congregations—through regular announcements, bulletins, e-mails, etc.—to buy copies of Grace Under Fire and, most importantly, sign them with messages of support. The books are then gathered together and distributed free of charge to U.S. troops and their families on military bases, at facilities for wounded troops, and in care packages sent to service members deployed overseas. Churches that already have a military ministry or projects that mail care packages abroad are distributing copies of GRACE UNDER FIRE to these programs. Each participating church should ultimately feel satisfied that the books they are contributing are going where they’re most needed.

GRACE UNDER FIRE is a tribute to our servicemen and women, and it is a very positive, uplifting book about resilience and hope. It features fifty letters and e-mails from every conflict in our history, from the American Revolution to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, written by soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors, as well as their loved ones on the home front. (For more information, please see “About the Book.”) All readers, civilian and military alike, will find inspiration and wisdom in the words of those who have endured the most difficult hardships imaginable and yet maintained their faith.

Please note that there is no deadline to this giveaway. Andrew Carroll is committed to this effort for as long as there is interest, and there is no shortage of troops who want books. The giveaways will be going on year-round, though some churches are doing special appeals around Easter, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, July 4th, September 11th, Veterans Day, and Christmas.

PURCHASING BOOKS

There are several places where members of a congregation can go to buy books that will then be distributed to the troops:

Church Book Stores
If a church has its own store, this is an ideal place for people to purchase GRACE UNDER FIRE. Churches that already have an account with WaterBrook Press can order the books as they normally would, and those that would like to set up an account should e-mail: SpecialMarkets@WaterBrookPress.com. Please copy Andrew Carroll at WarLetters2004@yahoo.com so that he knows which churches are interested in participating. Along with mentioning the giveaway in announcements and bulletins, pastors might want to display a sign in the store that says, “Buy a Book for a Hero!” (with a brief explanation about the giveaway) and have a box nearby where all the books can be collected. The store should make certain to ask everyone who gets a copy of GRACE UNDER FIRE to sign it with a message of support for our troops.

Bulk Orders from ChristianBooksDirect.com
If a church does not have a book store (or does not want to set up an account with WaterBrook Press just to sell GRACE UNDER FIRE) but wants to order bulk quantities of the book at a discounted rate, the church can go to www.ChristianBooksDirect.com/GraceUnderFire.
The books, which cost $11 a piece, come 12 to a box, for a total of $132 per box. (And anyone, regardless of whether they are affiliated with a church or not, can order bulk quantities of GRACE UNDER FIRE from www.ChristianBooksDirect.com.)

Local Religious Book Stores & On-Line Book Sellers
If a church does not have a book store and cannot order bulk copies of GRACE UNDER FIRE for whatever reason, the pastor can simply encourage members of the congregation to get books on their own either on-line or at a local religious book store. Most of these stores should either carry the book or be able to order it, and some might offer it for less than the suggested $16.95 retail price. Several on-line sellers are offering the book for significantly less than retail. To find a religious book store near you, as well as information about on-line sellers, please visit www.WaterBrookPress.com and click on the “How to Purchase” link located in the upper-right corner of the main page.

Regardless of where or how GRACE UNDER FIRE is ordered, here are the relevant details about the book:

Full title: GRACE UNDER FIRE: Letters of Faith in Times of War
Editor: Andrew Carroll
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Suggested retail price: $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7337-5
(Please note that there are two versions of GRACE UNDER FIRE. One is published by Doubleday, and the other by WaterBrook. The two are identical, but the WaterBrook edition also features scripture throughout the book. Each of the fifty letters and e-mails has a Bible verse that relates in some way to the correspondence that follows it.)

GETTING BOOKS TO THE TROOPS & THEIR FAMILIES

The most important part of this effort is getting the books into the hands of U.S. military personnel and their loved ones. After a church (or any participating house of worship or institution) has gathered up all of the copies of GRACE UNDER FIRE they wish to donate, they can:

• arrange for Andrew Carroll, schedule permitting, to come to the church, pick up the books, and then take them to a local military base interested in hosting a giveaway (so far many of the largest U.S. bases have already agreed to participate). Andrew would also use this opportunity to express his heartfelt thanks to the church for their generosity.
• send the books directly to a base, facility for wounded veterans, or organization that mails care packages to troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places around the world. Andrew Carroll can help churches find these bases, facilities, and organizations.
• give the books out to troops and families through their own connections or military ministry, if they have one (and if they do not, they might want to consider establishing one).

All participating churches, including those that have other ideas as to how they want to distribute copies of GRACE UNDER FIRE, are encouraged to e-mail Andrew Carroll at WarLetters2004@yahoo.com. Please send feedback as well about the information provided on this site, especially if it needs to be updated or clarified.

Please note: Due to staffing and financial limitations, books cannot be sent out on an individual basis to a service member or to his or her family. All books are being handed out at pre-arranged visits to military bases and related facilities, sent in bulk to overseas distributors, and/or added to care packages arranged by organizations that specialize in these mailings. For more information on base visits, please see Andrew’s travel schedule under “Book Tour” on the home page of this site. For bases or other military facilities interested in hosting a giveaway, please write to WarLetters2004@yahoo.com.

A FINAL WORD ABOUT SUPPORTING OUR MILITARY

The purpose of this book giveaway is to give our troops and their families a tangible gift to show our appreciation for their service. For churches that cannot or prefer not to participate, we hope that they will consider other ways of reaching out to the military community if they are not doing so already.

There are many extraordinary non-profit organizations out there helping our troops in large ways and small, from sending care packages and phone cards overseas to building homes for wounded veterans here in the States, and they need our assistance. For more information on how your church, synagogue, or place of worship can make a difference, please see the “Support Our Troops” link on the home page of this website.

We also hope that pastors, parish priests, and other clergy will help us spread the word to their colleagues about this book giveaway and the larger need to remind our troops and their families how indebted we are to them and, most of all, that we will never forget their sacrifices.