Join past president Heather Wishart-Smith for a spin class at Cyclebar, followed by brunch, lunch, or dinner at Army Navy Country Club.

Cyclebar (www.cyclebar.com) is a fun and no-pressure indoor cycling experience in Falls Church, VA - great for first-timers and experienced riders alike. Ride your spin bike at your own pace and resistance to the beat of fun music and supportive instructors and fellow classmates. No bugs! No sunscreen! A/C! No risk of falling off your bike! This is a low-key opportunity to have a good time and Heather will help you set up your bike and put you at ease.

Army Navy Country Club (www.ancc.org) in Arlington, VA is a private, member-owned club with award-winning facilities. After the spin class (and a shower!), join Heather for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Date and time to be mutually agreed upon and available late August - mid June (not during the summer).

America is fracturing. Deep polarization, toxic rhetoric, and a startling 250% rise in hate crimes have left the nation in a crisis of trust. We are trapped in a cycle of "motive attribution asymmetry"-a dangerous cognitive bias where we assume our actions are driven by love, while attributing our opponent's actions to hate.

In The American Citizen's Creed, Colonel Douglas Hammer (USAF Ret.) argues that the root of this crisis is a fundamental misunderstanding of citizenship itself. For too many, citizenship has become a synonym for "entitlement"-a passive status of rights without responsibilities. Drawing on over 26 years of military service and the unifying power of the Airman's Creed, Colonel Hammer presents an urgent, non-partisan solution: a new, 110-word American Citizen's Creed-a declaration intended to anchor every American to shared values that transcend political party. Hammer deconstructs this Creed stanza by stanza, offering a manual for the modern patriot:
Identity: "I am an American citizen. I am a patriot. My generation's defender of liberty." Hammer reclaims the word "patriot" from extremists, defining it not as blind nationalism, but as affection, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice for the common good.
Core Beliefs: "I honor and protect our founding principles. I abide by our laws and respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of my fellow citizens." The book tackles the difficult work of tolerance. It argues that respecting the rights of those we disagree with is the only way to protect our own freedoms. It demands we reject the "tyranny of the majority" and abide by the rule of law to ensure a fair society.
Engagement: "I stay informed of issues affecting my community and actively contribute to its well-being. I participate in the democratic process and serve in times of need." Moving beyond the passive act of voting, Hammer calls for a "service mindset." Whether through jury duty, volunteering, or simply staying informed to combat misinformation, active participation is the rent we pay for living in a free society.
Commitment: "I practice accountability, civility, and tolerance. I reject violence as a way of settling differences. I protect and maintain my rights by exercising my responsibilities." In the book's most urgent section, Hammer details the necessity of rejecting political violence. He provides tools to de-escalate conflict, asking readers to "stop assuming the worst" and replace reactive anger with intellectual humility.
Why This Book? Why Now? Freedom is fragile. As President Reagan warned, it is "never more than one generation away from extinction". The American Citizen's Creed is the missing text for that defense. It cuts through the media echo chambers to redefine US citizenship as a solemn contract.

If you are tired of the division, if you are concerned about the future your children and grandchildren will inherit, and if you believe that rights must be balanced by duties, this book is for you. It is time to stop watching the republic fracture and start rebuilding it-one shared value at a time..

The Five Be's is a straightforward and no-nonsense guide to living a healthy and successful life. In the crush of 21st century living and working, it's easy to get lost in the noise. The Five Be's helps you cut through the noise with time-honored principles to being fully human and living authentically.

In this book, you'll learn:

How to value your own worth, and the worth of those around you, so you can become the person you were meant to be by being authentically Proud. You will learn the difference between authentic pride and counterfeit pride, and how to lift others up just like the A'ama crab.
How to live in authentic Freedom - and the difference between doing what we want and doing what we should. Being authentically free is crucial to living a healthy and successful life, and this book offers concrete steps to becoming free to choose what's good for you.
How to live the Cardinal Virtues - what it means to be virtuous, and why everyone should strive to live a virtuous life. Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude are just as applicable today as they were in Aristotle's time.
What it means to be Balanced - humans are complex creatures and it's necessary for our own personal and professional growth to be integrated and balanced in mind, body, and spirit.
Finally, how everyone should embrace Courage as a necessary part of our life - courage to act in times of danger, and moral courage to do what's right no matter what the cost. A courageous person is never unprepared for adversity.

USA TODAYBESTSELLER

"If you have wanted a road map to help you achieve more and lead with clarity and confidence, this book lays it all out there for you! Jenn provides the framework to help you silence self-doubt, act with intention, and find the warrior inside."

-ALISON LEVINE, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ON THE EDGE; FACULTY, THAYER LEADERSHIP AT WEST POINT

We all have passion-fueled dreams that may seem too bold or too risky.

We are continually challenged to meet goals, either the goals of our organization or the goals we set in our personal life. However, we often feel that our goals and dreams are out of reach, we are not ready, we don't have the time, or maybe we're just not good enough. Many of us are struggling with impostor syndrome, self-doubt, the fear of failing, and the fear of success.

We listen to the voices of instinct and intuition, which have kept us safe in the past. Yet the voices of the inner critic, procrastination, and perfection sound similar enough that they hold us back.

With her four-step framework, developed through scientific research, and personal and secondhand experiences, Jenn underscores the need to find, awaken, and strengthen one's inner warrior to reach those unattainable dreams.

Never before have the gates of Camp David been opened to the public. Intensely private and completely secluded, the president's personal campground is situated deep in the woods, up miles of unmarked roads that are practically invisible to the untrained eye. Now, for the first time, we are allowed to travel along the mountain route and directly into the fascinating and intimate complex of rustic residential cabins, wildlife trails, and athletic courses that make up the presidential family room.

Millions of visitors set eyes on the Grand Canyon annually, yet less than 1% venture into the canyon. A very select few complete the iconic journey from one rim to the next rim and back with no stoppage. In need of an annual noteworthy athletic endeavor, 30+ year endurance athlete, military veteran and "professional running enthusiast" Tony Hofmann seeks to fill a gap created when the 2021 Boston Marathon is postponed until October. With limited planning-on a whim-he chooses to tackle one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim trek, with minimal breaks. Relying on decades of experience, detailed planning and a personal DNA forged in grit, he provides a roadmap and useful details for the few who choose to set foot within the confines of one of the most picturesque locations on our planet.

Endurance athletic events are only for young, elite athletes that can dedicate their full time and energy to these endeavors, right? Wrong. Jumping directly from the marathon distance of 26.2 miles to the mystical distance of 100 miles, 26-year military veteran Tony Hofmann dispels this notion by completing the legendary 100-mile "Race Across the Sky" in Leadville, Colorado--the highest incorporated city in the U.S. Putting grit into action, Tony chronicles his journey and proves that common athletes who work full time while raising a family can still achieve uncommon results on one of the largest ultra-marathon stages the sport offers. Learn how an indomitable spirit combined with a rock-solid training plan can catapult one to conquests once thought unimaginable.
Item Value (estimate, $100 minimum)

Do you want to assist veterans suffering from emotional distress? Then stop talking about it and take real action. This is the story of Team Leadville, a high-altitude marathon team with a unified mission: stopping veteran suicide. Incorporating the tenets of endurance, teamwork and grit--while using the highest U.S. city as the backdrop--this book chronicles the team's odyssey from the simple idea of a group challenge to raising nearly one quarter million dollars (and counting) to save veteran lives. Learn about the physical and mental challenges tackling the Leadville Trail Marathon's brutal course, building a successful all-volunteer team, and discovering a program that continues to transform the lives of veterans suffering from the moral injuries associated with their service. Endurance, Teamwork and Grit demonstrate the collective power of teams and Team Leadville's relentless push to end veteran suicide.

Bridges to Baghdad tells the story of the "fighting Seabees" and their role in the Iraq War, and how they raised the bar of the legendary "Can Do!" tradition set by their World War II forefathers. The U.S. Navy Seabees are America's premier expeditionary construction force. During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, they stormed into Iraq along side the First Marine Expeditionary Force (1 MEF). Task organized into three regimental-sized formations under division-level command of Rear Admiral Chuck Kubic, the Seabees maneuvered, built, and fought their way to Baghdad. They advanced through one of the world's harshest environments and against some of the fiercest adversaries they had encountered since Vietnam. During this intense campaign, Seabees carried out their primary missions of building bridges and roads along the attack route, and conducting Civil Military Operations in the face of a cunning, often hidden enemy. They not only built military bridges during the historic march to Baghdad but also cultural bridges during the subsequent reconstruction of a liberated Iraq.