Scott DeLuzio and his brother Steven were deployed by the Army National Guard to Afghanistan in 2010. Both were fighting just miles away from each other on August 22, 2010, when Scott was told Steven had just been killed. Moments later, Scott was thrust into battle against the Taliban, who had just taken his brother’s life. SURVIVING SON: An Afghanistan War Veteran Reveals His Nightmare of Becoming a Gold Star Brother is the true-life story of Scott and Steven DeLuzio. Scott DeLuzio takes you on a journey from his Connecticut upper-middle-class childhood to his call to service after 9/11. With college degrees and a bright future ahead of them, these brothers left the safety of suburban life to fight on the front lines in Afghanistan. In SURVIVING SON, DeLuzio explores the hostile war zone and the soldiers experience engaging in combat with the Taliban. He describes what it was like to be a soldier and the raw emotion he felt when learning of his brother’s death. He vividly reveals how he continued to struggle with PTSD from the stresses of combat, the loss of his only sibling, and the transition to civilian life. Scott’s homecoming was not the hero’s welcome he deserved. By telling his story, Scott hopes to reach out to those veterans still struggling with the impact of war. His message is one of hopefulness that can potentially reverse the stigma that often accompanies those who seek mental health treatment. Especially timely with the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan, Scott opens up about U.S. withdrawal from the region. “I believe that every service member who took part in the war did what was needed to keep Americans safe at home by taking the fight to the enemy.”