Small Acts of Kindness

Posted on by Jerry Barnes

I am amazed…

at how some rewards come in life. Small acts of kindness are often are returned in wonderful ways. I recall taking a load of firewood to a couple last winter. The firewood had been sitting under our shed for several years, unused, doing no one any good. Then a social worker friend casually mentioned: “Jerry, do you know of anyone who has some firewood they would give to an older couple here in the neighborhood? I am sure they would be glad to pay for it.”

 “Where do they live?”, I asked.

The following day, Saturday, I loaded up a truckload of wood and delivered it to the couple. It took me all of 45 minutes to give this act of kindness away and I  was rewarded handsomely! When I finished unloading the wood, the gentlemen came out and tried to give me money. “I don’t want your money sir! I enjoyed seeing the smile on your face when I unloaded the wood”, I said.

“Well, thank you, sir” he replied. “My wife is very sick, and the only time she feels like getting out of bed is to sit by the fireplace when we have a fire going. It reminds her of how we spent so many nights together when we were younger”.

With tears in my eyes, I responded, “sir, it is my honor to help you!” Blubbering like a child, I drove away, tears still falling from my eyes, and already paid handsomely. 

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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.

 

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

Above: Jerry Barnes, Author of combat survivor stories

 

Christmas Morning in the Mountains of Virginia

Posted on by Jerry Barnes

here is the view…

from my “author writing area” on Christmas morning, 2020.  It is pretty rare to see snow this heavy here, even in the mountains, hence the picture. 

When snow isn’t falling in buckets full, we have a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains which run through this area of Western Virginia. 

I never get tired of the view, particularly when leaves are forming in the spring or falling in buckets of beautiful fall colors.  Rare snow on Christmas is a  treat, hence the photograph. 

These beautiful views motivate my brain to write the stories of combat survivor heroes, standing at 70 plus and counting.  We have enough stories to publish three books while gathering more for book 4. 

And, the stories keep coming. Who knows where we will finally hang it up, but writing these stories of combat heroes is a labor of love. God willing, we will continue doing so.  

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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. Also, don’t forget to sign up for my Friends of the Author Newsletter to get regular updates on new and upcoming projects! And as always, a portion of all net profits from book sales 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.

 

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

Above: Christmas 2020 from Jerry’s office.

 

My Right Hand

Posted on by Jerry Barnes

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. 

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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.

 

Thelma Lou

Posted on by Jerry Barnes

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.

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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

 

Two Hard Heads Meet!

Posted on by Jerry Barnes

Trigger, a baby goat…

greeted me as I walked in the door of the barber/ beauty shop.

“Don’t bother the customer, Trigger”, Helen said, while completing a lady’s blow-dry.  

As soon as I sat down, Trigger started butting my leg.

“Where did you get this critter, Helen?”

“Well, his mother had four of them, but only nursed two at a time. Trigger and his sister were not able to get enough milk to make it. We lost his sister and I got to Trigger just in time to rescue him”, Helen responded. “With me feeding him by bottle every couple of hours, it looks like he is going to survive.”

I picked Trigger up and started holding him.

“You want a goat, Jerry? I got three available”, Helen said.

“I can’t imagine what Laura might say if I walked in the door with a pet goat.  But I don’t think it would be that positive”.

My mind raced to a GI who picked up a stray puppy in Afghanistan and brought him back to base. Despite misgivings, the commander could see how the critter helped improve morale and gave a reluctant “OK” for the soldiers to keep him. Over time, the dog became the pet of the entire unit and did wonders to perk up the morale of young soldiers. The little guy reminded them of home, and diverted their minds from the horrors of war, if only temporarily. 

Then one day, the dog, traveling on patrol, was killed in a battle skirmish. There is no way to describe how this incident affected morale. Grown men were crying in the combat zone as if one of their best and closest friends had been lost.

In a measure of reflection, that is exactly what happened.

This story will appear in one of my future books.

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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.

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 nuzzles Trigger the goat.