Searching for True Community A Self Help Book on National Security

As the first self-help book on national security, 'Searching for True Community' is an entertaining introduction that leaves the reader better informed on world events today, and what may be in the news tomorrow. Our goal is to spark an interest, through creative storytelling, by turning what many of us see as a dry subject into one that is relatable to all of us.

For most of us national security is boring. We hand national security over to the Sunday morning talk shows because it's the perfect place for boring people, in boring gray suits, to discuss a boring topic. When the subject comes up, we start flopping and flailing around like a fish out of water. It's not our fault. Most of us haven't served in the military or some government agency. We're not spies of Navy SEALs. We're accountants and deliveryman, and students and homemakers.

But you know that even if national security doesn't touch you today, it can touch you tomorrow. You know in your gut there is a cost to burying our heads in the sand because there are men and women representing our values around the world. And you know our values mean little if we can't express them. So, you picked up this book for a little help and here's your first tip - you are already a national security expert.

No, after reading this book, Anderson Cooper isn't going to use you as his national security analyst, and you most likely won't be invited as a consultant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But you will discover you can trust yourself to not only engage in the national security debate, but also challenge the so-called experts CNN keeps in speed dial.

We hope you enjoy it!

David brings over 25-years of experience as a veteran, business leader and writer to make national security more relatable for all of us.Born at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, his father, Jan Van Bennekum, left Hoboken, New Jersey to attend the United States Air Force Academy and his mother, Georgia, joined him after finishing studies at Jersey City State College to become a teacher. He lived in a typical middle class military family with his older sister and younger brother, settling outside Andrews Air Force Base in Washington D.C. After graduating from Surrattsville High School in Clinton, Maryland, David attended Slippery Rock University in northwest Pennsylvania and was then later accepted to the Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. David spent 20 years as a Marine, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. As a Marine Corps Officer, David is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and was involved in innovative projects like 'Afghan First,' an initiative to encourage entrepreneurship and investment in the Afghan economy; he led logistics policy planning for the Iraqi Army and Police in Al Anbar Province, Iraq and participated as a subject matter expert during a comprehensive review of Marine Corps organizational structure to position the Marines for the future needs of the country. David's last assignment was at the Pentagon as the face of the Marine Corps' overall 3.2 billion dollar program to conduct a responsible and timely logistics drawdown from Afghanistan.After leaving the Marines, David moved to Stamford, Connecticut, spending some time on GE Capital's 'Getting to Strong' team as the company strived to meet the stringent requirements of wall street reform as a 'Too Big to Fail' financial institution. He is now a Vice President with Inter-Con Security Services living with his wife in Pasadena, California. While in the Marines, David received his law degree, became a member of the Virginia Bar, and also received a Master of Laws degree in National Security Law from Georgetown University Law Center. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy/Marine Corps Meritorious Service Medals and the Iraq and Afghanistan Campaigns Medals among others. Dave uses his national security, business and military expertise with an understanding that telling creative and engaging stories is important to communicating complex ideas to bring you this self help book on national security.