Tough As They Come

By: Travis Mills, Marcus Brotherton, Gary Sinise - introduction

Narrated by: Travis Mills

Thousands have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five have survived quadruple amputee injuries. This is one soldier's story.

Thousands of soldiers die every year to defend their country. United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was sure that he would become another statistic when, during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, he was caught in an IED blast four days before his twenty-fifth birthday. Against the odds, he lived, but at a severe cost—Travis became one of only five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation.

Suddenly forced to reconcile with the fact that he no longer had arms or legs, Travis was faced with a future drastically different from the one he had imagined for himself. He would never again be able to lead his squad, stroke his fingers against his wife’s cheek, or pick up his infant daughter.

Travis struggled through the painful and anxious days of rehabilitation so that he could regain the strength to live his life to the fullest. With enormous willpower and endurance, the unconditional love of his family, and a generous amount of faith, Travis shocked everyone with his remarkable recovery. Even without limbs, he still swims, dances with his wife, rides mountain bikes, and drives his daughter to school.

Travis inspires thousands every day with his remarkable journey. He doesn’t want to be thought of as wounded. “I'm just a man with scars,” he says, “living life to the fullest and best I know how.”

Critic reviews

“[Mills is] thriving, not just surviving, and inspiring others to overcome their own seemingly insurmountable obstacles.” – TribLive

“A story of hope and resilience, and a reminder that no matter what life may throw at us, as Travis says, as long as we “Never Give Up, Never Quit”, we can achieve anything we set our hearts and minds to. He is quite simply a great American and an example for us all.” – Gary Sinise, Actor, Director, Veterans Advocate and founder of Gary Sinise Foundation

“This book exemplifies the qualities that made Travis an outstanding soldier: it is gutsy and honest, filled with humor even in the darkest moments, and always driven by a love for both family and country.” – Troy Aikman, NFL Hall Fame Quarterback

"The problem with guys like Travis, is they make guys like me look like lazy whiners. What this man did for our country is heroic. What he sacrificed is unimaginable. And what he's written is simply unforgettable. Read it. I promise you'll feel better about whatever ails you." – Mike Rowe, TV host, writer, narrator, producer, and actor

Wow. Just wow.

The courage and determination of this great man. Even in the face of death if he asks of the well-being of everybody else except for himself. God Bless America

Travis Mills is bad ass

Truly inspirational. Is truly inspirationalHe is just like you and me but with a great attitude

badass book

This man is the ultimate badass. I really appreciated the stories of his early life, It's very interesting to learn about the contributing factors of the person we get to see today. I think we all have the potential for either going bad or acting honorably, it just depends on which side you decide to feed on a daily basis. It seems clear to me that Travis' ability to act in the manner he did was the result of a lifetime of hard work and constant vigilance. I think sometimes people imagine that it is one moment that defines whether you're up for the challenge or not and forget that there was an entire lifetime of preparation for the moment of truth. I think almost everyone would be better off if we could act as admirably as Travis Mills does. So definitely get the book it's worth a listen. Now I'm off to listen to the Podcast he did with Jocko.

Inspiration

Travis shows that problems most have are not as bad as we make them out to be.

An amazing personal story

What made the experience of listening to Tough as They Come the most enjoyable?

It was great to hear Travis Mills tell his story in such detail and from the perspective also from those close to him. His story of enduring the pain and hardship and overcoming them is such an empowering inspiration. I usually can only listen to an audio book in 30 minute segments but I listened to this whole book straight through during my drive from FL to NY.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The depressing feeling when Travis woke up and realized what had happened. I cried hard hearing how Travis felt and worked through it.