ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

IT TAKES A TRUE TEAM TO COMPLETE a project like this: partners, friends, mentors, teachers, and coworkers from several countries, companies, and schools past and present. We can only repay you all by paying it forward.

When we had the first inkling that our journey would take us through Israel, we had just two contacts: Joel Berkowitz of the American Technion Society and Robbie Greenblum, the Mayor of San Antonio’s Chief of Staff, who had set up delegations to the Middle East in the past. There is only one degree of separation when it comes to introductions from folks like these; they really do know everybody! Technion Society members Charley Housen and Ed Goldberg—along with friend and liaison to the Mayor’s Office, Roee Madai—also provided introductions that blossomed beyond any expectations. We want to thank (in the order of our meetings) Professor Dafna Schwartz, Chemi Peres, Yoram Yahav, Yadin Kaufmann, Yoni Shimshoni, Professor Zehev Tadmor, Todd Dollinger, Arie Ovadia, Dr. Orna Berry, Yair Shamir, and Yossi Vardi.

Through Yossi, we were honored to meet Avi Hasson, Israel’s Chief Scientist, and to take an unforgettable tour with Moshe Yanai. We want to thank Ya’acov Fried, who introduced us to Dr. Chaim Peri, founder of the Yemin Orde Youth Village, and to Col. Bentzi Gruber, director of the Ethics in the Field project. And we could never have accomplished our mission without being introduced to Yossef Idan, who guided us on pathways we never could have found, and who introduced us to friends like David Ouahnouna and other amazing teammates.

In Virginia Beach and San Diego, we were honored to meet and share the experiences and advice of active and retired U.S. Navy SEAL team members. Thanks first of all to Scott Chierepko, who organized the Virginia Beach roundtable (and simulated Oktoberfest) with Ed Maulbeck, Rob Smith, Bill Bickell, and Joseph Raetano (a veteran and friend of the group). Rob Roy and Surfer Kevin we thank for acquainting us with the BUD/S environment on the West Coast. Special thanks to Don Shipley and “Fuch” Fuciarelli for their personal generosity in introducing us to the power and emotion of live training at the Extreme SEAL Experience in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Last, but not least, we need to single out one old frogman in particular—Bill Seith—who has supported us with advice, anecdotes, fact checking, and editorial review on a weekly basis since the first days of the project. Thanks, Mug.

We are grateful for the inspiring words and observations about the True Team experience—from the most elite competitive levels, down to the everyday—from world champion formation skydivers and international coaches Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, Mark Kirky, and Doug Park.

As for our publishers at JohnWiley & Sons, Inc. we owe a debt to the person who seated us by chance next to Senior Editor Dan Ambrosio at the national entrepreneurial education conference in Washington, D.C. Dan gave us his business card, told us to keep in touch, and meant it. Thanks also to Christine Moore for her editorial encouragement, and to Lauren Freestone and Shannon Vargo for their skills and support.

Carlos Miranda must be called our Editor-at-Large for his ceaseless dedication and his contributions on everything from data research to basic story structure, which he managed while writing his doctoral dissertation at Yale.

This brings us to friends, associates, and best-in-the-world assistants Sheryl Cruz and Celita Oman, who are there every day to offset any disorganized gene or impulse that might crop up with no advance warning.

Thanks to our UnStoppable entrepreneurial sounding boards Pat Condon, Lew Moorman, David Barnett, Nick Longo, Randy Smith, Dan Schley, Eric Jacobsen, M. Leo de Lion, and defender of the legal realm, Sara Dysart. Special mention also to Jason Carter, Cliff Barry, and John Fazio.

Down to the wire, we owe a permanent debt to our gold medal relay team, which carried us over the finish line: Lorenzo “The UnStoppable” Gomez, the great Bob Rivard, and the literary legend Karl Weber, editor extraordinaire.

The biggest embrace goes of course to our wives and our families—not only in this generation, but to parents and grandparents whose UnStoppable, creative, entrepreneurial spirits reside in us and without whom we never would have had the opportunity or the inspiration to write this.

And the final nod goes to all the people of Rackspace, the Rackers—who showed us how a big company really can keep its entrepreneurial spirit, and what it means to believe.

Warmest thanks to you all.

—Bill Schley