When SCP Gabriel David Conde was less than a year old, a woman at his parent’s church prayed for him and said, “This beautiful boy will become a warrior, but his heart will be soft.” Those words would forever ring true in Gabe’s life as evident in his over three hundred pages of heart-filled poetry, short stories, and journal entries featured in the new book “And Evil Shall Be Vanquished: A Warrior’s Anthology of Original Poetry and Other Writings.” Gabe’s writings described his unique experience supporting Green Beret elements throughout his first and only deployment to a foreign battlefield while his fierce warrior spirit was tempered by his genuine desire to stay close to God throughout his life.
When Gabe’s father, Robert Conde, Jr., found out that his eldest child and only son was being deployed to Afghanistan in 2017, he insisted on having him send his collection of writings to keep on file and continue to send any new work to share with the family. Robert had no idea at the time how vital this request would end up being but is forever grateful his son obliged. On the morning of April 30, 2018, while providing cover fire and relaying enemy locations to his fellow soldiers, Gabe was fatally struck by enemy fire, killing him instantly. He was only 22 years old.
“Gabe’s eloquence is evident in many of his poems and short stories, and his unfiltered candor as an infantryman is also on display in his deployment journal entries,” said Robert. “Through it all, his heart for his God, for his family and friends, and for his country, is revealed in unexpected ways for the reader to experience first-hand.”
Robert curated the compilation of Gabe’s writings and peppered in additional stories from himself, his wife and Gabe’s mother, Donna, and from Gabe’s two sisters, Olivia and Priscilla, to provide further insight into the life of their son, brother and of an American hero. The book will inspire and stir emotions and leave a lasting reminder of the dedication, bravery and sacrifice every U.S. soldier and veteran has made to protect our country – a time that we should not only be thankful for on Memorial Day but every day of the year.
“And Evil Shall Be Vanquished: A Warrior’s Anthology of Original Poetry and Other Writings”
By SPC Gabriel David Conde (Author), Robert Conde, Jr. (Compiler)
Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and LifeRich Publishing
