ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth Public Library invites the public to attend a powerful and deeply moving Discover Together Tuesday program at 11 a.m. Jan. 13 at the Ellsworth Senior Center. This month’s featured guest is Joshua Shores, Marine veteran and author of “Counting on Death: A Marine Infantryman’s Journey from the Front Lines of Combat to the Fight for Peace.”

Shores’ book offers an unflinching, intensely personal account of his experiences as a young Marine. At just 19, he deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Raised in the Midwest by a close-knit family with a proud legacy of military service, Shores carried with him a strong sense of duty, honor, and purpose. But the realities of combat quickly shattered any lingering youthful assumptions about war.

Drawing from meticulous notes he kept during his deployment, Shores recounts the daily hardships, traumatic events, and emotional challenges that defined his seven months in Iraq. Driven by a need to reconcile the haunting memories of his first deployment, he later volunteered to serve a second time—this time in Afghanistan with the first-ever Marine Special Operations Company Bravo.

Yet the battles did not end when he came home. Shores confronted profound survivor’s guilt, emotional isolation, and the struggle to reintegrate into civilian life—an often silent war faced by many veterans. His memoir shines a stark light on the psychological and emotional toll of combat, the cost carried long after the uniform comes off, and the difficult journey of self-discovery and healing.

Today, Shores is a decorated Marine veteran, an entrepreneur, and a Midwestern husband and father. He graduated cum laude with a degree in Business Management and continues to share his story to help others better understand the realities of service and the challenges of returning home.

This presentation offers the community a rare opportunity to hear directly from a veteran about the profound psychological transformations shaped by combat and the complex transition from Marine to civilian. Attendees will gain insight into resilience, trauma, identity, and the ongoing quest for peace after war.

This event is free and open to the public.

Following the program, guests are invited to stay for a complimentary lunch, generously provided by the Ellsworth Senior Center and the Friends of the Ellsworth Public Library.

For more information, contact the Ellsworth Public Library.

Submitted by Ellsworth Public Library