David Hartline
Robbinsville – A distinguished two-war veteran, author of four books and motivational speaker.
To say David Hartline has lived an eventful life would be an understatement.
Now, the Gaylesville, Ala. native is bringing his unique story to Graham County, as Hartline will be at the Graham County Courthouse on Saturday.
“What I want to show people is that I’m one of them: a basic, country boy,” Hartline said. “If I can succeed – from where I came from – they can, too.”
Born on a cotton farm at the base of Lookout Mountain, Hartline dropped out of school in the 10th grade to help his father run the farm. Times were lean, but the work ethic instilled by the hours in the balmy Alabama sun would pay dividends when Hartline was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968.
“When I went into the Army, I felt like I fit in more there than anywhere else, because I wanted to compete,” Hartline said. “I didn’t have a chance to play (high school) football and baseball was my thing, but I didn’t have a chance to pursue it. I couldn’t even go to away games, because I had to come home from school every day, change my clothes and went into the field to work.”
Hartline’s 23 years of service took him to Vietnam – where he served on a Long Range Recon Patrol – and later the Persian Gulf. He was wounded twice while serving his country. His experiences inspired him to write three books: Vietnam: What a Soldier Gives, Inner Thoughts and Definition of a Hero.
His fourth book, The Real Tarzan, walks readers through the life of Arthur Pershing “Tarzan” White, Hartline’s high school football coach, who was a University of Alabama football star and later, a professional wrestler. Hartline felt compelled to pen a book on White when they reconnected years later. “He was my mailman,” Hartline chuckled. “He had a story that needed to be told. It was so intriguing to me. I was 13-years-old when he was the coach at my high school; he was like a superhero.”
Hartline’s books have received letters of appreciation from presidents – Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush – and Highway 273 in Alabama was renamed David L. Hartline Highway. He later began to dabble in motivational speaking at Fort Knox in Kentucky.
Saturday’s appearance will last from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Hartline’s books will be for-sale at $15 each, or $50 for all four.