Sign-In
Cart
When Violence Is Virtue: Reflections on Combat and Character
Paperback
PhilosophyAfghan War (2001-2021)
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 11 2025
Pages: 42
Weight: 0.15
Height: 0.10 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Peace is not given. It is claimed by those willing to stand in the crucible on behalf of those who are unable or unwilling to act. In a world desperate for peace at any cost, the hard truth is that peace is often paid for in blood.
When Violence Is Virtue is a concise book, meant to hit hard. Every page is packed with ideas to dwell on. It isn't about glorifying war or violence; it explores the fragile divide between strength and mercy, peace and peril, courage and restraint. Drawn from the realities of war, and moments that strip away all illusion, Adam McLain reveals that true virtue sometimes demands a steady readiness to meet violence with resolve.
EndorsementsEvery active duty guy should read this book. It should be part of their mandatory reading list. I highly recommend it. It was phenomenal. - David Rutherford (Navy SEAL, CIA Contractor, Author, Performance Coach, and Award Winning Podcast Host)
A short but nutrient-dense book, written by a man that knows war. absolutely fantastic, I cannot recommend it enough. - Clay Martin (Green Beret, Marine & Author)
Also By: ETHOS: Leadership Forged by ConsequenceAlso from
McLain, Adam
Fourth Earth: A YA Fantasy Adventure to the planet of Mythical Creatures
Murdock Jensen, Cami
Hardcover
Also in
Afghan War (2001-2021)
Send It: Canada's Snipers at War in Afghanistan
Nisbet, Barry C.
Bahmanyar, Mir
Cullen, Gordon
Paperback
American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant
Tyson, Ann Scott
Paperback
The Last Free Women: A Daring Escape from Afghanistan and Coming of Age in America
Blumenstein, Rebecca
Kapp, Diana
Hardcover
The Things They Cannot Say: Stories Soldiers Won't Tell You about What They've Seen, Done or Failed to Do in War
Sites, Kevin
Paperback
Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
Schilling, Dan
Longfritz, Lori
Paperback
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
Luttrell, Marcus
Paperback
Second Wave: Inside Al Qaeda's Post-9/11 Attack Plan and America's Secret Effort to Stop It
Lebowitz, Michael
Hardcover
Beyond the Outpost: An Army Cavalry Officer's War Diary on the Frontlines of Afghanistan, 2003 - 2007
Berkoff, Ross A.
Hardcover
Escape from Kabul: The Afghan Women Judges Who Fled the Taliban and Those They Left Behind
Bartlett, Karen
Hardcover
No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War Through Afghan Eyes
Gopal, Anand
Paperback
In Sha Allah, If God Wills It: The Real-Life Story of an Afghan Combat Interpreter
Farina, Ron
Paperback
Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America's Bravest Warriors
Patterson, James
Eversmann, Matt
Paperback
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10
Luttrell, Marcus
Hardcover
The Arsenal of Democracy: Fdr, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War
Baime, A. J.
Paperback
The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the Fbi, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists
Walder, Tracy
Blau, Jessica Anya
Paperback
Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force
Schilling, Dan
Longfritz, Lori
Hardcover
Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan
Stanton, Doug
Paperback
The Bleeding Nation: Superpowers, Ethnic Politics, and Afghanistan's Collapse
Kawusi, Naweed
Paperback
The Last Free Women: A Daring Escape from Afghanistan and Coming of Age in America
Blumenstein, Rebecca
Paperback
The Only Thing Worth Dying for: How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan
Blehm, Eric
Paperback
The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers
Brozek, Gary
Irving, Nicholas
Paperback
The Canadian Army in Afghanistan: Volume II, Part 1: Counter-Insurgency in Kandahar
Maloney, Sean M.
Hardcover
Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan -- And the Path to Victory
Shaffer, Anthony
Paperback
Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror
Prince, Erik
Paperback
Radio Free Afghanistan: A Twenty-Year Odyssey for an Independent Voice in Kabul
Mohseni, Saad
Krajeski, Jenna
Hardcover
Brothers Forever: The Enduring Bond Between a Marine and a Navy SEAL That Transcended Their Ultimate Sacrifice
Sileo, Tom
Manion, Tom
Paperback
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
Lemmon, Gayle Tzemach
Paperback
The Canadian Army in Afghanistan: Volume II, Part 2: Counter-Insurgency in Kandahar
Maloney, Sean M.
Hardcover
Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and Whalers - the Marine Corps' Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan
Darack, Ed
Paperback
Dirty Little Secrets of World War II: Military Information No One Told You...
Dunnigan, James F.
Paperback
The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power
Chomsky, Noam
Prashad, Vijay
Hardcover
Modern War in an Ancient Land: The United States Army in Afghanistan, 2001-2014. Volume I
Mark, Reardon J.
U S Army Center of Military History
Degen, Edmund J.
Paperback
The Chosen Few: A Company of Paratroopers and Its Heroic Struggle to Survive in the Mountains of Afghanistan
Zoroya, Gregg
Hardcover
Architecture for Warfare: How Corporations Profit from Destruction and Reconstruction
Wall, Ed
Paperback
Saving Aziz: How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Rescue Thousands from the Taliban
Robichaux, Chad
Hardcover
Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan
Parnell, Sean
Bruning, John
Paperback
Modern War in an Ancient Land: The United States Army in Afghanistan, 2001-2014 Volume II: The United States Army in Afghanistan, 2001-2014. Volume II (Large Print Edition)
Reardon, Mark J.
Degen, Edmund J.
U S Army Center of Military History
Paperback
Saving Cinnamon: The Amazing True Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Mission to Bring Her Home
Sullivan, Christine
Paperback
Tip of the Spear: The Incredible Story of an Injured Green Beret's Return to Battle
Hendrickson, Ryan
Hardcover
Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of Us Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan
Stanton, Doug
Hardcover
Swords of Lightning: Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America's Response to 9/11
DeFelice, Jim
Nutsch, Mark
Pennington, Bob
Hardcover
Shoot Like a Girl: Shoot Like a Girl: One Woman's Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front
Hegar, Mary Jennings
Paperback
Operation Enduring Freedom Volume 1: Prelude to the Invasion of Afghanistan, 2001
Fredholm Von Essen, Michael
Paperback
Contact Charlie: The Canadian Army, the Taliban, and the Battle for Afghanistan
Wattie, Chris
Paperback
The Right Kind of Crazy: My Life as a Navy Seal, Covert Operative, and Boy Scout from Hell
Emerson, Clint
Paperback
Saber 27: A Memoir: A Female Cobra Pilot's Story of Betrayal, Redemption, and Combat in the War on Terror
Armstrong, Anne J.
Hardcover
Shamrocks Among the Poppies: Musa Qal'eh 2006 - A Bloody Siege and the Failures Behind It
Plews, Derek A., VR
Hardcover
Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America's Bravest Warriors (Large Print Edition)
Eversmann, Matthew
Patterson, James
Paperback
Book of Queens: The True Story of the Middle Eastern Horsewomen Who Fought the War on Terror
Mahdavi, Pardis
Hardcover
With A Few Guns: The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery in Afghanistan - Volume I - 2002-2006
Riedel, Wolf
Reid, Brian
Zuehlke, Mark
Paperback
Always Faithful: A Story of the War in Afghanistan, the Fall of Kabul, and the Unshakable Bond Between a Marine and an Interpreter
Schueman, Thomas
Zaki, Zainullah
Paperback
The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan
Hastings, Michael
Paperback
Craig & Fred: A Marine, a Stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other (Large Print Edition)
Grossi, Craig
Paperback
Life and Death at Abbey Gate: The Fall of Afghanistan and the Operation to Save Our Allies
Cook, Mikael
Paperback
Seal of Honor: Operation Red Wings and the Life of LT Michael P. Murphy, USN
Williams, Gary L.
Hardcover
Forged in Fire: An Australian Commando's Story of Life and Death on the Frontline
Ryder, Scott
Paperback
They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America's Wars: The Untold Story
Jones, Ann
Paperback
Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Laux, Douglas
Pezzullo, Ralph
Paperback
The Warfighter's Lounge: A Marine's Experience of Combat in Marjah, Afghanistan
Bodell, Jeff
Paperback
Triumph Over the Taliban: The Untold Story of US Marines' Courageous Fight to Save Camp Bastion
McKinney, Jeanne
Paperback
Dog Company: A True Story of American Soldiers Abandoned by Their High Command
Vincent, Lynn
Hill, Roger
Paperback
The Kabul Kill Zone: An Air Force Officer's Account of Leadership, Loss, and Survival
Spargur, John
Paperback
American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan
Ames, Michael
Farwell, Matt
Paperback
Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
Meyer, Dakota
West, Bing
Paperback
Uncommon Valor: The Medal of Honor and the Warriors Who Earned It in Afghanistan and Iraq
Gresham, John D.
Zimmerman, Dwight Jon
Paperback
Killing Sheep: The Righteous Insurgent: Killing Sheep: The Righteous Insurgent
Blackard, Mark
Paperback
485 Days of Combat: Task Force Catamount in the Longest Deployment of the Afghan War
Toner, Chris, (Ret ).
Hardcover
Crucial Coalition: Anglo-Danish Military Collaboration and the Message of History
Galster, Kjeld Hald
Paperback
True War Stories: An Illustrated Military Anthology of American Service from Vietnam to Today
de Campi, Alex
Krumbhaar, Khai
Paperback
The Chosen Few: A Company of Paratroopers and Its Heroic Struggle to Survive in the Mountains of Afghanistan
Zoroya, Gregg
Paperback
The Black Banners (Declassified): How Torture Derailed the War on Terror After 9/11
Soufan, Ali
Hardcover
Chasing Catastrophe: My 35 Years Covering Wars, Hurricanes, Terror Attacks, and Other Breaking News
Leventhal, Rick
Hardcover
War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine
Solomon, Norman
Hardcover
The Gardener of Lashkar Gah: The Afghans Who Risked Everything to Fight the Taliban
Brown, Larisa
Paperback
America's Favorite Warlord: The Life and Death of General Raziq of Kandahar
Hagstrom, Jacob
Hardcover
Hard Broke: Asymmetric Warfare, Great Power Competition, and Institutional Paralysis
Matter, M. D., US Army (Ret ).
Hardcover
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (Large Print Edition)
Luttrell, Marcus
Robinson, Patrick
Hardcover
Frontier Assault: The North Staffordshire Regiment in the Third Afghan War 1919
Green, James
Paperback
5,000 Days of War: The Firsthand Account of an Afghan Special Forces Operator
Sediq, Yousuf
Paperback