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THUCYDIDES IS OFTEN credited with having written, “The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.”

This Athenian general and classical historian of the Peloponnesian War would have had no need for concern, nor need to caution, had he known Lieutenant Danny Modell and The Warrior’s Manifesto. Danny is that rare combination of scholar and warrior. With degrees in philosophy from two of the nation’s preeminent universities (a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin) and twenty years of experience with the world’s preeminent police force, he is ultimately qualified to write a contemporary warriors’ manifesto.

I have had the privilege and honor to work with and help train many selfless individuals who daily protect our nation, communities, property, and health. Having worked with a cross section of gallant guardians, including military command, Navy SEALs, firefighters, paramedics, and local, state, and federal police, it is clear to me that The Warrior’s Manifesto provides reflection and direction for any and all members of these elite groups who are committed to attaining the warrior ideal.

However, as my professional experience has been predominantly with law enforcement, I want to emphasize the immense value of Danny’s work for police officers. This may be a unique time in the history of American law enforcement, and The Warrior’s Manifesto is the book for this time.

Never has the police officer been more urgently needed but also scrutinized, criticized, and, at times, even reviled. Among the deserved compliments has been the application of the title “warrior” to those in law enforcement, and this has also been among the heated controversies surrounding the field.

Those who criticize the use of the title in the context of policing seem to demonstrate an excessively myopic viewpoint and failure to recognize the purpose, discipline, and values of the warrior ethos. Unfortunately, the related public and political criticism often demoralizes and erodes the faith, confidence, and commitment of the individual officer.

The Warrior’s Manifesto is a tour de force. It is truly a foundation for those who believe police officers can be warriors (and should aspire to be so). It should help relieve the contemporary confusion about what the warrior is and why the appellation does apply to the police officer.

The Warrior’s Manifesto will do much to clarify and rectify the real issues. It is both an anchor and a rudder for the modern police officer and police command. The work is a synthesis of the traditions of warriorship and contemporary challenges.

Danny is a wordsmith who writes with an engaging passion and challenging quality. You will not be able to lay this book aside until you have read it all and, until then, you will read with great anticipation of Danny’s next point and well-turned phrase. His knowledge of history is truly impressive, but even more so is his presentation of it, which reads not like a stuffy rendition of an irrelevant past but like on-point personal knowledge.

This is a work that the veteran officer will find validating and the rookie will find inspiring. This work will confirm what the veteran officer knows and what the rookie needs to know. It is required reading for both. It cannot be read too soon, nor too often, by either.

Michael J. Asken, PhD

Police psychologist, author (with Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman and Loren Christensen) of Warrior Mindset: Mental Toughness Skills for a Nation’s Peacekeepers, and author of MindSighting: Mental Toughness Skills for Police Officers in High Stress Situations