September 1, 2009 - In his outstanding new book, "Shake the Devil Off," Ethan Brown has composed a serious and epic tragedy about love, war, hurricanes, and the brutality of betrayal.  This must-read book about Zack Bowen, his girlfriend Addie, his wife Lana, their families, their friends, and the 527th Military Police Company during the Iraq War stands an overwhelming cautionary tale of what will continue happening because the military and VA continue allowing too many veterans to fall into the cracks when they come home. Full Disclosure - Ethan Brown cites the VCS review of Zack's Bowen's military service and military medical records. 

Every military general and every VA leader should take the time and carefully read this book to understand how the hubris and incompetence of a few government leaders often leads to massive pain, suffering, and death. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki should put "Shake the Devil Off" at the top of their reading list as a superbly written account of how everything could and did go wrong for a soldier and his family during and after the Iraq War.

Ethan Brown's meticulously detailed reporting encapsulates how a war and a storm came home to America - with a brutal vengeance that will reverberate for generations in New Orleans and across the country.

"Shake the Devil Off" is the story of Iraq War veteran Zack Bowen and his new girlfriend Addie Hall. The couple crashed at the dangerous intersection where the Iraq War fiasco that severely damaged our military crossed the path of Hurricane Katrina, a catastrophe that nearly eliminated New Orleans.

The tragic consequence was a notorious murder - suicide that captured international attention. The psychological consequences of war are very real. The carefully collected facts in the book show that the transition from combat to community for our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans remains mired in crisis after more than seven years of war.

Shake the Devil Off - A True Story of the Murder that Rocked New Orleans