General James Mattis (USMC-RET)

Written for Navy Institute Proceedings
May 18, 2026
Richland, Washington

When Senator John F. Kennedy published “Profiles in Courage” in 1956, a reviewer described the book this way:

“A thoughtful and readable study of political bravery.”

Other reviewers praised the book’s central argument that democratic government depends on leaders willing to risk popularity for principle. One said this about the book:

“An unusually mature examination of conscience in politics.”

70 years later, another book explores these same themes and warrants the same attention and praise: Courage Can Save US.

Rye Barcott has written a thoughtful and timely book about courage, a quality which was once far more prevalent than what we generally see in public life today. Too often, today’s public officials can seem to be mediocre and highly interchangeable modular parts — more tinsel than tree.

The men and women profiled in these pages—five Republicans and five Democrats—come from different backgrounds and different corners of America. They have carried the burdens of command, confronted danger on behalf of others, and entered public life understanding that leadership is about duty, not personal gain or comfort.

Rye Barcott understands that courage is not loud. More often, it reveals itself quietly—in restraint rather than impulse, in integrity rather than ambition, and in the willingness to accept political risk for the good of the country. Having served in war, these 10 leaders recognize that trust, discipline, and shared sacrifice are the foundations upon which serious institutions—and serious nations—are built.

This book does not romanticize politics, nor does it pretend that public servants are without flaws. That honesty strengthens its message. Democracy depends not upon perfect people, but upon citizens and leaders willing to place service above self-interest when circumstances demand it.

We desperately need leaders who inspire us rather than create fear and division. Too often today, our leaders from all ends of the spectrum whip up their supporters to make them afraid of threats that may or may not really exist. And even when those supporters realize that the “real enemies” don’t exist, they will often accept any substitute.

188 years ago in 1838, Abraham Lincoln warned that the greatest threat to our experiment in democracy was not foreign aggression, but corrosion from within. Lincoln said “All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined with all the treasures of the earth in their military chest, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track over the Blue Ridge Mountains. If destruction is to be our fate, we ourselves will be its author.”

Or as Rye Barcott says, “The only thing that can kill America is America.”

Rye Barcott understands that courage is not loud. More often, it reveals itself quietly—in restraint rather than impulse, in integrity rather than ambition, and in the willingness to accept political risk for the good of the country. Having served in war, these 10 leaders recognize that trust, discipline, and shared sacrifice are the foundations upon which serious institutions—and serious nations—are built.

This book does not romanticize politics, nor does it pretend that public servants are without flaws. That honesty strengthens its message. Democracy depends not upon perfect people, but upon citizens and leaders willing to place service above self-interest when circumstances demand it.

We desperately need leaders who inspire us rather than create fear and division. Too often today, our leaders from all ends of the spectrum whip up their supporters to make them afraid of threats that may or may not really exist. And even when those supporters realize that the “real enemies” don’t exist, they will often accept any substitute.

188 years ago in 1838, Abraham Lincoln warned that the greatest threat to our experiment in democracy was not foreign aggression, but corrosion from within. Lincoln said “All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined with all the treasures of the earth in their military chest, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track over the Blue Ridge Mountains. If destruction is to be our fate, we ourselves will be its author.”

Or as Rye Barcott says, “The only thing that can kill America is America.”

America has always renewed itself through individuals prepared to shoulder responsibility in difficult times. Courage Can Save US is ultimately a hopeful book because it reminds us that such Americans still exist—and that the future of the republic will depend upon whether we choose to follow their example.