“Few war memoirs achieve the level of literary depth and emotional resonance of Downriver.” - General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.) MWSA Gold Medal Winner BookLife Prize Critics Score: 9.5/10 (Perfect scores in Prose and Character Execution) Downriver is a powerful story about leadership, trauma, and the long journey home—told by an officer who fought in some of the most consequential battles of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As a platoon leader in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, Ryan McDermott fought in several key engagements, including the Battle for Objective Peach and the Seizure of Saddam International Airport (now Baghdad International Airport). These rarely captured frontline moments, now studied by military historians and students of modern warfare, are presented with clarity, honesty, and emotional depth. But Downriver is not just about war. It is about what comes after. Following his combat tour, McDermott transitioned to Wall Street—only to experience another collapse from within Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis . What began as a celebrated career change became a confrontation with trauma, identity, and reintegration. The memoir chronicles the private struggles that followed: post-traumatic stress, the challenges of rebuilding purpose, and the search for meaning as a husband, father, and survivor. For readers of The Long Walk, Redeployment, The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell, Jarhead, No Easy Day, and Matterhorn, Downriver offers a unique blend of historical insight, literary craft, and emotional honesty. It speaks to veterans, military families, and anyone who has struggled to rebuild after loss or upheaval. Downriver stands apart for its historically significant firsthand accounts, its intimate look at combat and reintegration, its award-winning literary quality, and its rare fusion of memoir and poetry. More than a war memoir, it is a meditation on identity, trauma, redemption, and the battles that continue long after the war ends. "Few war memoirs achieve the level of literary depth and emotional resonance of Downriver. And even fewer help us understand the burden of leadership in combat, and the resilience required to forge a new path beyond the battlefield." -General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.) "This is an epic account of one young man riding the torrents of 21st Century American history, navigating a tumultuous voyage through military and business combat and personal turmoil toward enlightenment and self-discovery." -William Doyle, Author, A Soldier's Dream "A compelling and unflinchingly personal story about his road toward healing." -Kirkus Reviews "Revealing memoir of the Iraq war, the financial crisis, and a soldier's will to succeed." -BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick) "Libraries and readers interested in life lessons learned on and off the battlefield, poetry, and more will find Downriver enthralling. Packed with tense moments, eye-opening confrontations, and literary history, it embraces bigger-picture thinking about life choices." -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "A deeply personal memoir of struggle... a valuable addition to the corpus of veterans' voices in the world reshaped by 9/11." -IndieReader (IR Approved) "Downriver is a search for self that, like a river, makes progress even though the destination may be out of view." -LoveReading UK ("IndieBooks We Love") "A necessary addition to the canon of post-9/11 memoirs... not just a soldier's story-it's a deeply human one." -San Francisco Book Review (5 Stars) "Downriver... will fill your heart with compassion and understanding of a war veteran's struggles." -Manhattan Book Review (5 Stars) "Whether you are a veteran or not, the story will have something to say to you, and may shed light upon a part of the world not familiar enough." -Chicago Book Review (5 Stars) Ryan P. McDermott is an executive in the aerospace and defense industry and a former senior Pentagon official, specializing in national security policy, finance, and government relations. A US Army veteran, he served from 2000 to 2006, leading a platoon into combat with the 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and earned the Ranger tab and Combat Infantryman Badge. Following military service, McDermott transitioned to Wall Street and Lehman Brothers before its 2008 collapse.A West Point graduate, McDermott holds an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and an MA in security studies from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service.