Hope Unseen The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer

Hope Unseenchallenges readers to question their doubts, not their beliefs, and depend upon God no matter whatthe inspiring true story of "blind" faith. Scotty Smiley grew up believing in a God who loved and protected him. He married a beautiful woman who shared his beliefs, graduated from West Point, survived Ranger School, and headed to Iraq. Then on April 6, 2005, a suicide bomber blew Smiley's world apart. Two weeks later he woke up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center, critically wounded and unable to see. Blindness became Scotty's moment of supreme testing. The injury only intensified Scotty's already indomitable spiritsince then he has climbed Mount Rainier, surfed, skydived, earned an MBA from Duke Business School, and secured a position at West Point teaching leadership. Bad news fills the headlines, but the good news we don't hear enough about can inspire others with faith, hope, and love. In Hope Unseen, we learn about the injury that forever damaged Captain Scotty Smiley's body, but could not harm his spirit.

Captain Scotty Smiley is the Army’s only active-duty blind officer. He lost the use of both eyes when a car bomber blew himself up in front of Scotty’s vehicle. A recipient of the bronze star and Purple Heart, he currently teaches the core course in leadership at West Point. Scotty and his wife Tiffany are the proud parents of two young children.

Doug Crandall served in the Army for thirteen years, including the last five at West Point where he was an award-winning leadership teacher and later the Executive Officer to the Dean. Doug now lives in Richland, Washington, with his wife Stephanie and their children.