Memoirs of a Navy Mustang is filled with personal events and jovial stories of a young man from humble beginnings in East Texas who enlisted in the U.S. Navy for submarine service and who later earned a commission as a surface warfare officer then acceptance into the intelligence community. Consumed by anxiety and the strain on his personal life throughout his military career, he slowly sank into depression. Rather than seeking professional help, he joined a veteran motorcycle club to distract him from confronting his past and rehabilitating his mental health. Drowning his pain with daily alcohol abuse, his life spiraled out of control, sinking him deeper into depression. Counseling and newfound love and support in a strong woman, diverse in culture, who had also served in the Navy, rejuvenated his spirit to live again.

The book further raises awareness of suicidal attempts, ideations, and thoughts by military service men and women. Supported by statistical data the book emphasizes that both depression and anxiety exceed the more widely discussed PTSD as contributing disorders to military suicide and calls for needed change in the nation’s approach to service members’ awareness, especially when returning from deployments.