Humble Hero

Posted on February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 by Jerry Barnes

Douglas and Gloria…

are long-time, childhood friends of mine. We attended the same school in the Virginia town of McKenney and attended the same Baptist Church. Like your author and his dear wife, Doug and Gloria have been married for more than fifty years.

While visiting together one Sunday morning after church Gloria and I were chatting when the subject of the next book of combat survivor stories came up. “When do you expect to complete the next book?” Gloria asked me.

“I am about half done with the thirty stories and hope to finish in the next six months or so”, I replied.

Gloria turned, looked in Douglas’ face, and said: “Honey, you really ought to tell Jerry your story. I know it is painful for you, but the kids and grandkids need to know what Papaw did in the war”.

Already knowing that Douglas did not want to relive his painful memories of combat service in Vietnam, I looked at Douglas who quietly said: “Jerry, when you have a chance, please stop by the house and I will share the stories I have been holding so long”.

That painful story of combat, fear of injury, and death, along with the heart-wrenching loss of a dear friend, is entitled, Humble Hero. It will appear in our next book: Angels on the Battlefield.

God Bless you both, Doug and Gloria. It is my privilege and honor to write your account.

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If you know a veteran who would like to share their story with me for a future book, ask them to visit the contact page of my website or click the button below.

If you enjoyed this blog, please like and share it with your friends on social media to help spread the word about Combat Survivor Heroes. A portion of all book proceeds is donated to local veteran causes.

Be among the first 1,000 people to receive an advanced, signed copy of Angels on the Battlefield. You can contact me for details by clicking the button below.

You can also use the link below to order a signed copy of my first published book of combat survivor stories When Heaven Visits: dramatic accounts of military heroes. For a discount on your purchase, leave a review of the book on Amazon, take a screenshot of your review, and email it to combatsurvivorheroes@gmail.com.

contact me

Details of the two wonderful veteran causes we support can be found under the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website.

Cover Image: Douglas and Gloria. Above: Author, Jerry Barnes and wife Laura.

Behind the Story: Shane and Brandon

Posted on February 10, 2021February 10, 2021 by Jerry Barnes

As he walked…

into the Wendy’s restaurant, it didn’t take long to realize: this dude is quite a character. Everyone working in the restaurant began to smile as Shane, wearing a US Marine hat strolled to the counter and ordered. Friendly and gregarious, smiles abounded on the faces of the workers.

Clearly, he was a “regular” and favorite of the employees. I noticed a slight limp as Shane made his way to a nearby table, carefully carrying his hamburger, fries, and coke. Shane turned to me and asked, “how are you, sir? Are you from around here?”.

“Well, I am a Virginian,” I said, “My wife and I are heading toward our home in Botetourt.”

“How about that,” he said. “I am originally from West Virginia. The wife and I retired here in Farmville years ago.”.

I noticed Shane’s right leg was stretched out a bit as if he was nursing a war injury. “Where did you serve in Vietnam?”, I asked. After 20 minutes of swapping stories, I noticed tears welling up in his eyes. Words flowed freely from this new friend.

“Well, I served in several spots. Most of the action I faced occurred near Liberty Bridge. By far, the toughest night of my life, occurred when a battalion of over 500 Viet Cong suicide soldiers attacked our little marine unit of 120. At eighteen years old, convinced I was going to die, I fought continuously for over four hours. Can’t imagine how many people I killed.”

I knew this story had to be told. I mentioned that I too was a veteran, as well as an author of combat survivor stories, and asked if he would be interested in sharing his story with me for an upcoming book.

“I would sure consider it,” he responded, giving me his phone number. “Might even be able to convince my son to give you his story also. He served in Iraq for three tours and fought in the battle for Fallujah, Iraq. He doesn’t want to share much. It may take some doing to get him to talk.” We left it at that, shook hands, and parted.

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I met Shane, his son Brandon, and the family matriarch, Elizabeth, who “hung the moon” in the words of Shane. She is the energy for the entire family, clearly adored by both dad and son. Brandon, with his arms around his mom, reluctantly shared his story. Elizabeth even talked Brandon into giving me a poem he wrote while in the combat zone. Powerful! Powerful!

After interviewing the Seaborne Marines, and speaking with me, the local newspaper in Farmville, VA wrote a feature story on these two. Brandon and Shane, shared freely with the reporter, recounting details of their combat. I am privileged to call these two “friends for life” and glad to be a small part of sharing this back story with each of you.

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If you know a veteran who would like to share their story with me for a future book, just ask them to visit the contact page of my website, or click the button below.

Be among the first 1,000 people to receive an advanced, signed copy of Angels on the Battlefield. You can contact me for details by clicking the button below.

You can also use the link below If you would like a signed copy of my first published book of combat survivor stories When Heaven Visits: dramatic accounts of military heroes. For a discount on your purchase, leave a review of the book on Amazon, take a screenshot of your review, and email it to combatsurvivorheroes@gmail.com.

contact me

Details of the two wonderful veteran causes we support can be found under the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website.

Cover Image: Shane and wife, Elizabeth. Above: Brandon and Mom, Elizabeth.

Musings, Cars, and Two Stories

Posted on February 3, 2021February 3, 2021 by Jerry Barnes

Laura…

my brother Gordon is going to the auto auction in Richmond. Want to tag along? I see there are some state vehicles we may be able to buy for a decent price.”

“As long as you promise me we won’t buy something we don’t need”, she conceded.

“I’ll do my best to avoid bidding”, I promised.

She responded that she would be watching me like a hawk.

Upon arrival, we soon discovered that state cars were going to sell for way more than we were willing to pay. I resigned myself to a quiet bench in one of the bays, watching the sales proceed. There was a constant stream of bidding chatter. “How do these guys talk so fast?”, I wondered.

Meanwhile, Laura was nowhere in sight.

Sometimes, I have the right to remain silent, but not the ability. A shiny, gold Nissan Sentra was entering the sales booth. There was stark silence. No one made a bid on the car. The words “$200” burst from my mouth. “$200 is bid, will someone give me $300? 300, 300, 300.”, the auctioneer quickly said.

Silence.

“Sold to the man in the Virginia Tech hat for $200″, shouted the auctioneer.

I sat quietly in my chair as a lady approached me and said: “Sir, I represent the finance company who owns this car. I am not willing to sell the car for $200, but will take $600 for it”.

I told her that I would check it out and let her know. A few moments later, the engine running quietly, and no tears on the upholstery, I said, “I’m willing to pay the $600″.

About that time, adult supervision disguised as Laura returned, looked at me incredulously, and said, “Why did you buy that ugly thing?”

“Because it is worth more than $600”, I retorted.

“Well, I am not going to ride in it. I hope you plan to sell it”, she insisted.

“I do”, I said.

Laura followed me home in our Honda, just to be sure the Nissan would make it. I stopped at my buddy’s filling station in Daleville and asked, “Do you care if I leave this here with a For Sale sign on it. I marked the sign with $2500 or best offer. Two days later I got a call and went to meet the fellow. He drove the Nissan and said, “Would you take $2200 for it?”

“Yes”, I said, and we drove to the Bank of Botetourt to settle the sale.

Twenty minutes later, I had a certified check for $2200. Laura grabbed the check and said, “this is going in the book account”. We can use the money to pay book editors!

On the way home from the sale, Laura and I stopped at the Wendy’s in Farmville. A fellow walked in the Wendy’s and we struck up a conversation. He gave me a terrific story of his service at Liberty Bridge in Viet Nam and led me to a second story, from his son, who was also a marine, and fought in the bloody Battle of Fallujah, Iraq. Both stories are in our first book and will be mentioned more in a future blog.

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Be among the first 1,000 people to receive an advanced, signed copy of Angels on the Battlefield. You can contact me for details by clicking the button below.

If you are interested in a signed copy of our first published book of combat survivor stories, When Heaven Visits: dramatic accounts of military heroes, you can also click the link below. For a discount on your purchase, leave a review of the book on Amazon, take a screenshot of your review, and email it to combatsurvivorheroes@gmail.com.

contact me

Details of the two wonderful veteran causes we support can be found under the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website.

Above: Jerry Barnes, Author of Combat Survivor Stories, and wife Laura Barnes