INSPIRED…BY WOUNDED WARRIORS
This phrase has become synonymous with our military personnel who have returned from “wars or rumors of wars” since 9/11. Many have suffered extreme physical injuries; others carry invisible scars of nightmare events that no one should have to experience. And yet, when they come home again they inspire us! They’d deny that, of course, but it’s true. It’s the average, ordinary, writer who hears their story and begins tapping the keyboard, stringing words together and getting it published that shows them the truth of it.
Just this afternoon, my husband handed me an article he’d torn out of a newspaper insert. There is a small photo in the second column of a soldier holding a gray tabby cat—the feline who was “rescued” by the young soldier in the midst of an active battle zone—the stray cat whose insistent attention rescued the soldier from suicidal depression and gave him the courage to come home and help others. Both soldier and cat are in the U.S. now.
You see, it’s all about connection. The soldier’s faith and loyalty connection to the military mission and the positive things being accomplished—the good they were doing. The internal, inspirational connection he saw in that one kitten expressed through the soldier as “the representations of the innocence” in that country. Then there was the connection with other soldiers and organizations that brought both soldier and cat home because “it was the right thing to do.” AND…the “cat experience connection” that was part of the readiness preparation for the soldier to accept a service dog, continuing the process of healing. So many people heard this story—identified with it—connected to the hope. And then came the writer who has used his skills and sent this story into millions of homes, creating more connections.
ARE YOU the next writer to hear an inspiring “wounded warrior” true-story and WRITE IT? There are as many inspiring tales to tell as there are “sands on the ocean floor.” The soldiers of today and yesterday and centuries past certainly have our respect and motivate us. However, there are other wounded warriors in our sphere of acquaintances who also have inspiring stories to tell: the small business owner who “goes above and beyond” supporting his employees; the mothers and fathers who (in spite of extreme physical and economic challenges) dedicate their lives to lovingly raise their children with integrity, honesty and faith; the first responders in emergencies who place themselves in harm’s way to save lives; and you, the bloggers, tweeters and journalists who are willing to dig until you find the truth—and write it—even at great risk to your career and/or reputation.
This September season of 9/11 memories has (as you can see) inspired me. I’ve read newspaper commentaries and online quotes from shoppers and cab drivers, waiters and maintenance workers who stepped into the New York streets that day “to help.” And yet, for me, it is the books by authors such as Susan Van Volkenburgh that continue to inspire me the most. Her September 11th journey is told in Silent Resolve and the God Who Let Me Down: (A 9/11 Story). It relates the events of Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, taking the life of her father and 183 others. It also expresses her “odyssey” through grief and loss.
There is something about holding and reading a book that makes the contents very personal and intimate. IF you have an “overcoming” story to tell, please write it! We all need the reminder—like that cat nudging the soldier—that tragedies are not only survivable but can inspire us and others.
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ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward. |
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