NOTHING
as it SEEMS
A MEMOIR
“I spent years preparing for war—learning how to identify, engage, and destroy the enemy. What I never trained for was how to recognize him when he came home wearing my face.”
“Nothing As It Seems is a raw and unflinching memoir about combat, trauma, loss, and the difficult road home. From the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to the invisible wars fought after deployment, Dennis Call pulls back the curtain on the realities carried in silence—and the slow, costly work of healing.”
About Nothing as it Seems
“Everyone seemed fluent in the language of influence and ambition. I was fluent in the language of consequence.”
To the outside world, Dennis was a decorated Army officer, a husband, and a father. Inside his own home, he was something else entirely—angry, distant, and becoming the very thing he thought he was fighting against.
Nothing As It Seems is a gripping account of combat, loss, leadership, and the hidden cost of war—where the most dangerous battles aren’t fought on foreign soil, but in the hearts of those who survive them. Through hard-fought reflection and deeply personal storytelling, Dennis reveals the human cost of violence, the isolation of trauma, and the healing that becomes possible when people refuse to suffer alone.
More than a combat memoir, this is a brutally honest, deeply human story that explores the isolation of trauma, the agony it produces, and the possibility of redemption in the midst of suffering.
Who This Book is For
Military Members, Combat Veterans, and Trauma Survivors
For service members returning from war and the families they return to, home can feel both wonderful and strangely unfamiliar.
Written by a combat veteran who nearly lost himself—and the people who loved him most—Nothing As It Seems offers an unflinching look into the family life no one else saw: the quiet tensions, the ‘monster under the surface,’ and the way ordinary moments can feel like someone else’s life.
This is a story for military families searching for understanding, honesty, and hope in the aftermath of war. It reminds readers that healing doesn’t come by pretending the past never happened, but by learning to carry it together.
Military Spouses and Families
Those who endure violence in war often struggle to explain what they carry, and those who love them struggle to know how to help.
Through powerful, unpretentious confession and intensely personal storytelling, Nothing As It Seems draws readers behind the forced smiles at picnics, youth sports, and church gatherings to reveal what military families and combat veterans often need most: community.
Not people with easy answers. Not pressure to ‘move on.’ But people with the courage to keep showing up—again and again—even when they’re afraid they won’t know what to say.
Supportive Readers / Communities
Going to war changes you. Sometimes it hollows you out in ways you can’t explain.
Nothing As It Seems is a raw and unflinching memoir about combat, trauma, loss, and the difficult road home. Dennis pulls back the curtain on the realities carried in silence—no politics, no hero worship, just a soldier sharing the unvarnished truth about the weight he carried, the ghosts that chased him, and the hope he eventually found in the dark.
It speaks as a brother in arms—honestly and courageously—about suffering, grief, guilt, and the possibility of healing.
Advance Praise
What People Think
What the Experts are Saying
“I learned quickly during the Vietnam War that there was more to being a military family than watching parades and admiring polished brass. I watched my father survive multiple tours each accompanied by severe wounds. Classmates were called to the principal’s office to receive bad news and they suddenly never returned.
Lieutenant Colonel Call chronicles the unique journey all military families travel—the deployment, the return and adjusting to survival. Military life is the most complicated and misunderstood part of the American epoch. Anyone who desires to learn more about military service, military families, and their journey home—beyond saying thank you for your service—must read Lieutenant Colonel Call’s book.”
Colonel Robert Wilkie (U.S Air Force, Retired)
10th U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
“Nothing As It Seems is a masterpiece. From the gut-punch of its opening nine words to its final, hard-won moment of grace, Dennis writes with a courage most of us spend our lives avoiding.Nothing As It Seems is raw, heartfelt, and relentlessly honest. A masterclass in redemption and human emotion that holds a mirror up to every one of us. This book isn’t just for the veteran carrying invisible wounds, or for the spouse who held the family together in silence. This book is for anyone who has ever hidden their worst self from the people they love most.Wherever you are in life, broken, healing, or simply searching—this is an unforgettable and vivid masterpiece that has the power to change your life. And it may well save you.”
Ed Cota
CEO, Immersive Solutions Group Inc.
“After over 30 years in behavioral health clinical and policy arenas with service members and veterans, I am convinced that the most important shifts in care happen when someone with lived experience speaks openly about it. This form of healing through peer support often extends far beyond any traditional therapy. Dennis has done exactly that. He has made sure no one struggles alone. This book brings readers into the experience of recovery itself, where change and true healing begins. This book represents a courageous and necessary contribution for our field.”
Dr. Keita Franklin - Ph. D. in Social Science
Author of The Humanity Cure: How Small Acts Can Change the World
What Readers are Saying
“I read Nothing As It Seems, and wow—it's raw, courageous, and incredibly powerful. Dennis lays it all out: his brother's heartbreaking suicide, the battlefield memories, childhood struggles, three combat deployments, and the toll on his marriage and family. No holding back.
The flashback structure works beautifully, and opening with those 90s grunge lyrics (Pearl Jam fits perfectly) captures the disorientation and moral injury so well—the sense that nothing is quite as it seems after war.
I'm moved and a bit overwhelmed by the honesty. It's a stark reminder of war's human cost, and his voice will resonate deeply with so many veterans, families, and others carrying invisible wounds.”
Rick A.
“Wow. Nothing As It Seems is excellent and hard hitting.
Miles A.
“Wow! Nothing As It Seems is beautiful. Dennis’s ability to communicate concepts, and emotions while evolving his personal narrative is special. I also appreciated how he was able to move into the present and package the past as part of his journey.
I do believe that this could be valuable to others and could assist their journeys through this battle.”
John S.
“Throughout Nothing As It Seems Dennis consistently honors his wife Katie and acknowledges her own trial in the midst of his mess. I left reading with a profound sense of how strong and faithful Katie is, she was duly honored.”
J.J.
“Nothing As It Seems is so well written! We are transported to every location on the ground and in the author’s mind…. I imagine writing a war memoir can be both arduous and liberating, and I commend Dennis on doing the ‘work.’ Our grief and pain always need a place to go; I am confident this relatable writing will be cathartic to many who have walked in his blood stained boots.”
Jerelyn W.
“Nothing As It Seems is beautifully vulnerable and authentic. What an incredible gift Dennis has given to those who love him, those who know him, those who have yet to know him through this book. Perhaps most profoundly he honors his brother. Dennis has a deep soul and tremendous personal courage to share this intimate journey with us.”
Barbara M.
About Dennis Call
Dennis J. Call served for over thirteen years as a U.S. Army infantry officer, deploying three times in support of the Global War on Terror. He led combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 101st Airborne Division and Operation Enduring Freedom with the 10th Mountain Division.
His awards include the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, two Valorous Unit Awards, and numerous others. His military qualifications include the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.
Dennis continues to serve in the Department of Veterans Affairs and as an elder at Immanuel Bible Church. He lives in Fairfax Station, Virginia, with his wife, Katie, and their five children.
Like many who’ve worn the uniform, he spent years training to identify and destroy the enemy—preparing to die for his country and the soldiers next to him. What he wasn’t prepared for was how to live for them and those he loved when he returned from combat..
Behind the decorations and the uniform, Dennis carried unspoken trauma, moral injury, and growing distance from the people he loved most. The devastating loss of his younger brother to suicide forced a reckoning he could no longer avoid, sharing the stories he’d kept to himself and the healing he found was possible.
Through honest, unpretentious storytelling, Dennis now writes and speaks about war, grief, faith, and the long road of recovery. He is passionate about helping:
Bringing hope to veterans and trauma survivors who feel alone in their experiences,
Encouraging military families searching for language and understanding, and
Equipping communities who want to walk alongside them with courage and compassion to promote healing.
Nothing As It Seems is his debut memoir.
Get the Book
Nothing as it Seems available soon on Amazon
Whether you are living with the aftershocks of war, loving someone who is, or simply wanting to understand and stand with them, this story was written with you in mind.”
Stay Connected
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