In 2011…

Julian Stood wrote an informative piece of work entitled, Small can be beautiful. Why short, powerful stories can be more effective than novels in the learning process.

Stories and storytelling sit at the very heart of effective communication. Stories build rapport and empathy, creating and sharing ideas of shared understanding. They give understanding and knowledge in a structured and predictable way.

Our friends at Readers Digest built an impressive following based on the premise of the effective tool of communication we know as the “short story”.

I will share with you the powerful words my friend Les Stobbe said to me nearly three years ago. He said, “Jerry, I believe a book of combat survivor stories, some of them near death accounts, each story written in a format of say, 1,000 to 3,000 words can be a powerful means to inform and give honor to these heroes. Will you consider bringing these stories to light?”

My dilemma was simple. Comfortable in retirement, the first thoughts popping into my 72-year-old mind, were: “you are 72. What in the world are you thinking? Beginning a new career at the age of 72 may well be viewed by some as total lunacy!”

My dear wife Laura, ever helpful, wisely offered, “you are an engineer, have little concept of how to write, and even less experience in writing. Why would you ever consider that? Besides, you got a ‘C’ in English in college.”

Her true words rang in my ears, but I did have a lasting thought. Laura did pay attention in English class and got a good grade. Perhaps she can help me.

As I drove home, Les’ words rang in my ears. Then the thought hit me—where will I find a book of combat survivor short stories? Well, I do have one story of near-death survival—my own. That’s a start. With ideas floating in my head, brilliance attacked me.

“I will ask Rita, my friend from church. She works at the VA. I’m sure she knows some veterans with stories”.

God’s providence is so wonderful. A couple of days later, Rita offered: “well my cousin Ryan served in the Army Green Berets. He shared his story with us at the family reunion. It was exciting, to put it mildly. Let me ask him.”

Ryan’s story, The Ambush, the lead story in book one, was so good it snagged a publishing contract, and I was off and running, but that’s another story for 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. Contact me for details by clicking the button below. I promise the cost will not break your spending allowance.

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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As a reminder, we donate a portion of all of our proceeds to two veteran causes.  Details of these two wonderful causes are described under the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

Above, Jerry Barnes, Author of Combat Survivor Stories

my beloved husband…

the father of our children, struggled to walk through the jungle for several miles on a badly injured leg, seeking treatment from the primitive, Khmer Rouge jungle clinic. Five days later, he died there, alone in death. One of my teen-aged sons risked his life to bring the devastating news to us. Forbidden to travel without “authorization”, and leaving my elderly mother and young daughter, I ran toward the jungle clinic through dark hours, My dear husband lay on the ground alone, his eyes open in death. Through muted sobs, I gently closed his eyes and rested my head on his chest. My husband and crippled mother died during the hellish three and a half years we spent in the jungles of Cambodia. To this day, I don’t know where their bodies rest. We were told that Khmer Rouge soldiers, many of them teenagers, threw the dead and wounded in jungle caves. When the caves filled with bodies, they closed the openings with soil and found another cave.


The rest of this compelling story will appear in my second book, Angels on the Battlefield: dramatic accounts of military heroes. Publishing of “Angels” is expected in February ’21.

Be among the first 1,000 people to receive an advanced, signed copy of this wonderful book. Contact me for details by clicking the button below. I promise the cost will not break your spending allowance.

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

               

As a reminder, we donate a portion of all of our proceeds to two veteran causes.  Details of these two wonderful causes are described under the Resources page of the Combat Survivor Heroes website. 

Credit to Bettman for the image above

Blisters covering his body…

the little guy couldn’t have been more than six or seven years old when frantic parents, brought him to our field medic station in Iraq. A pot of scalding cooking water fell on his left side, burning him from head to toe. Compounding the grim situation, his poor parents waited for two days before realizing that no home remedies were able to provide relief.

The chaotic scene brought instant thoughts of my three children in Illinois.

Lifting the crying little guy to the treatment table, assessing his pathetic situation, we knew some form of relief must be found.

Morphine? Can’t do that. I am not a Dr.

Let’s begin debridement, drain the blisters, then apply medicinal cream to soothe each area. 

The slow process began, enabled by loving care and mounds of chocolate cookies.

An hour later, cries reduced to an occasional whimper, The Champ realized we were bringing relief to his pain.

 A week later, he was running around like any little six-year-old.

 

 

 

 

The Champ is one of several medic mini-stories in our next book, Angles on the Battlefield, scheduled for a Feb ’21 publishing.

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Above: photo of The Champ featured in Angels on the Battlefield, 2021

A flat tire…

on the lead vehicle could not have come at a more inopportune time.

 Pinned down, in the middle of a planned trap, intense enemy fire, rained on James and his buddies.  Caught in the “staged firefight trap”, James and his unit struggled to free themselves.

With the lead vehicle disabled by a flat tire, something, someone had to do something or matters would get worse, much worse!

“Can you guys cover me while I change the tire, James yelled over the radio?”

“Got your back man”, one yelled over the radio.

The friendly fire int intensified as his buddies gave precious cover for James to pull the truck to the side of the inoperable vehicle. A few minutes later, the tire was changed.  James, back in the wrecker, yelled “Let’s get outta here!”

Enemy fire suppressed, the lead vehicle pulled away and the convoy headed to the base.

I write about these heroes in our new book, “Angels on the Battlefield”.  Thirty-one stories of combat survivor heroes are told for the book, headed to a Fall ‘20 release.

Check the author web site and place your orders at CombatSurvivorHeroes.com

 

 

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Samantha Beuterbaugh