He walked over…

to our table, late on Lakefest Day, handed me a $20 and said, “keep the change. Been meaning to come by, just haven’t had the time till now. How long have you been writing these combat survivor stories? “

“About three years. I’ve written around 70 stories, published the book you are holding, and am getting book number two ready for publishing. Books three and four are in my phone—recordings of more stories I will be transcribing, writing, and publishing in the future.  Am blessed to be involved in this work—and getting enough leads now to write for the rest of my life. There is a hunger out there among the veteran, active duty military, fire, rescue, and police communities to read these stories. That’s my target audience, about 20-30 million is my guess. It’s a good group, one totally committed to the veteran/veteran family sacrifice. If I may ask, what is the nature of your interest?”

“Funny you should ask. I am a contractor for Tunnel to Towers, which builds mortgage-free homes for disabled veterans and their families. You see their advertisements on TV quite a bit.”

“How about that? I imagine you may know some leads who may be willing to give me some stories?”

“With a wry smile, he wrote down his contact information, and slowly walked away, thumbing through the pages of my first book, When Heaven Visits.

It looks like the Good Lord has sent me a powerful lead for more interesting stories, perhaps enough for an entire book. 

Do you think–Number 5?

Better get busy writing, as I am 75, heading to 76. 

*******

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. 


Jerry’s second book, So Help Me God is being reviewed and edited for a late fall publishing. His third book of combat stories is to be published in the late fall of 2022 and will be entitled:  Stories from the ‘Bone: B1B bomber

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 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 on the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

 

Above: Logo for Tunnel to Towers

 

I do not Seek…

any recognition for what I am doing these days. In fact, I seek the opposite. 

You see, the combat heroes I write about—they are the real ones needing the recognition. They are the ones who sacrificed, bled, suffered debilitating injuries, and came home with inexplicable wounds of combat. They are the ones whose families need the recognition, whose moms and dads worried, prayed, and sought God’s protection for their son or daughter. They are the ones who put their lives on the line for people in foreign lands, many of whom didn’t want them there in the first place. 

They are the ones who truly deserve the recognition, not a near-senile old man, retired in the sunset years of life, truly enjoying the privilege of writing each story of a combat hero. They are truly are the ones we ought to be recognizing!

Yet, I am grateful, humbly grateful. It’s one of these humbling, sputtering moments where an old soldier, never at a loss for words, suddenly “doesn’t have a word to say”—or even mumble. I just stand there, looking around, seeing 22,000 people standing-cheering-clapping, while I think to myself, “my mom is proud. No actually, she’s crying, crying tears of gratitude for her boy”. I’m sure she looked down, smiled, and shed a heavenly tear. 

Thank you, David. As usual, you outdid yourself. All I asked was for a contact who could find a couple of tickets for me to the Mets-Reds baseball game. I am more than willing to pay for them, in fact, even buy a ticket for you my brother. 

Thank you, Patrick, Marketing Director for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Thank you Reds fans. You’re all the best. 

*******

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. 


Jerry’s second book, So Help Me God is being reviewed and edited for a late fall publishing. His third book of combat stories is to be published in the late fall of 2022 and will be entitled:  Stories from the ‘Bone: B1B bomber

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 on the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

 

Above: Jerry Barnes, Author of Combat Survivor Stories, honored by the Cincinnati Reds.

 

Lots of book news…

and a few “bumps” to share.

We finished book two and sent it to the publisher in early July. The work involved 1500 hours by yours truly, an additional 1500 hours or more from my dear wife Laura, and countless more from veterans who shared their stories. Writing books takes lots of research along with significant time from Andrea, our terrific editor in Tennessee. 

Laura mentioned, “Jerry, this is a lot of work! “

I responded, “I know, honey, but the veterans who protect and defend the US give their time, sweat, and sometimes, their blood. We spend our time listening to them recount their memories, often through tears. I owe it to them to reflect on the nature of their suffering, anxiety, fears, and sacrifice in this writing. So, let’s press on.”

We did and were able to press the send button on the manuscript of 30 stories, covering a book of over 200 pages, the third week of July. 

Three weeks later, our publisher emailed me with this alarming news. “Jerry, I will need to send the manuscript back to you. The material is just too graphic in spots for me (a dedicated Christian publisher) to bring to print. I am certainly not saying the book isn’t worth publishing. Quite the contrary. There are many publishers out there who will gladly publish this book. I can send you the names of two I know personally.”

When Laura and I got that news late on a Friday afternoon, I fluctuated between disappointment and sadness. After reflection and prayer over the weekend, I called my literary agent, Bob. 

“Sorry, you got that news, Jerry. It happened to another author I represent a few years back. After reflection, we decided to take another look at the manuscript,  re-worked the problematic areas, and re-submitted the manuscript to the publisher. The new manuscript was published.”, Bob recounted.

Armed with that terrific advice, I talked with my publisher on the following Tuesday morning, sharing the guidance of Bob, the literary agent. 

“That’s good advice, Jerry. If you are willing to take another pass through the book, soften the areas of intense suffering and gore, and reflect a bit more on the faith emphasis of the veterans while in combat, I believe I can publish it.”

She also suggested we change the book’s title to So Help Me God, after the last four words of the oath of enlistment. “With those changes, I will be able to publish the book.”, She said.

Isn’t life amazing? After four days of feeling sorry for myself, I received good news. But that is not the most exciting news. 

What she said after that news blew my 75-year-old mind. 

“Jerry, I was looking at your website: FBL4U.com.  I like what you are doing there. Let me take a look at some of the lessons. I may be interested in publishing them.”

So friends, in the middle of feeling sorry for myself, good news came. I encourage you to hang in there when you’re sick, tired, or sick and tired of being sick and tired. Keep working and clinging on to your dream. 

We are working to revise the vital areas of the manuscript for So Help Me God without losing any of the meaning and return the updated manuscript to the publisher. Our goal is to have it ready before Christmas. 

Stay tuned for the next update. 

God Bless!

*******

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. 


Jerry’s second book, So Help Me God is being reviewed and edited for a late fall publishing. His third book of combat stories is to be published in the late fall of 2022 and will be entitled:  Stories from the ‘Bone: B1B bomber

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 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 on the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

 

Above: Jerry Barnes, Author of upcoming book, So Help Me God.

 

No! I can assure you…

she absolutely does not want me to write this blog or be the focus of any attention whatsoever!  So, please don’t tell her. I’d rather take the heat after she sees it than give me “therapy” for a few days or more beforehand.  Content to remain behind the scenes, she is an expert at critiquing my writing, and does so frequently!  My favorite comment from her “writing therapy” is the following line. 

“Jerry, did you pay any attention, whatsoever, during English class in college? You use improper tenses, and only get away with numerous misspelled words thanks to the spell check feature on your computer. You can come up with words, even spell check doesn’t know.  What grade did you get in English?” 

“I got a C and that was a gift from the teacher. Laura, I didn’t enjoy English. I enjoyed engineering classes, design classes, and the classes for my Engineering diploma. English and world history were required subjects thrown in to torment engineering students.

 Besides, I knew I didn’t need to pay much attention, since I planned to marry someone who did pay attention in English. You did!”

She just smiles and walks away. 

We have finished book 2, Angels on the Battlefield (naming one of the books was the only thing she asked for).  I expect Angels, with its 30 stories, to publish in the fall of ’21. 

*******

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 profits 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.

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 tab of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

Top: Jerry and Laura hold his first book, When Heaven Visits. Above: Laura poses with an aircraft carrier.

 

Yes, I am writing about…

the actress who played Thelma Lou, Barney Fife’s girlfriend on the Andy Griffith show, also known as Mayberry, R.F.D. Still alive and in her 90s (ladies don’t want to give you their age), Thelma (Betty Lynn) now lives in Mount Airy, North Carolina, home of the Andy Griffith Museum.  Betty moved to this charming town in western NC, leaving her home in Los Angeles for the “peace and quiet” of the North Carolina town which prompted Andy Griffith to model the Mayberry show after. To say that Betty is the queen of Mount Airy is an understatement.

Still active, (age is classified), Betty appears at the Andy Griffith Museum on Fridays for a few hours to meet fans of the show and sign photographs.  A fan referred me to Betty who graciously chatted with me one Friday for about 30 minutes until “handlers” whisked her away for the autograph session. During our time together, Betty made one charming request: “Don’t show them a picture of me now, show them my young photograph”. She was and is charming and beautiful.

Betty broke into the entertainment business, in her home town of Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 17, singing in nightclubs of a family friend. USO representatives spotted her as an “entertainer of interest” and contracted her for East Coast/US hospitals to entertain troops wounded in WWII. When Betty turned 18, she joined a USO entertainment troop and entertained wounded troops for about six months. From there, her USO group began entertaining troops staging to be sent to the European War Zone.

Later, Betty and a guitar accompanist traveled to Burma to entertain troops in “safe areas”, where the British and US troops were driving out the Japanese.  It was here that Betty was given a fully loaded weapon to carry.

I’ve teased you enough. Betty’s story will appear in our next book, Angels on the Battlefield, expected to release in the fall of ’21.

*******

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 profits 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.

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 tab of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

Above: Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) during her time serving in the USO