The minister and former Marine tells his story of miraculous transformation from growing up in Spanish Harlem to walking around the world for peace. Known to many as the Walking Man, Danny Garcia has taken more than 52,000,000 steps across six contents to spread God’s message of love and peace. In this powerful memoir, he not only tells the story of his inspiring ministry, but also recounts his own personal journey of transformation, from darkness and sorrow to a life of light, joy, and freedom in Christ. Danny tells of growing up in Spanish Harlem before joining the Marines as a teenager. He went on to serve in law enforcement before being called to the ministry. With frank honesty, he discusses his conversion from a life wasted on drugs to one of devotion to knowing and serving God at all costs. Marines Don’t Cry describes Danny’s encounters with Pope John II, U.S. presidents, kings and queens, heads of states and global figures. It is an inspiring story of faith, the transformative power of God’s love, and how Danny has made it his life’s work to love his neighbor, to love himself, and to spread hope.
A Vietnam veteran discusses his support of a 250-bed orphanage during his two tours of duty in Vietnam, describing the plight of the children and the sometimes illicit operations he used to sustain the orphanage
As a boy growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, John endured years of sexual abuse by his father, a former Baptist minister. John tried to find refuge in the regimentation of a military career and in multiple marriages, but his efforts to deal with the trauma of his experiences led him on a self-destructive path that left a trail of broken people and dreams. His life continued its downward spiral until he reached the ultimate bottom. . .and began his journey toward forgiveness of his abusers and, finally, himself. This memoir is a groundbreaking account, from a man's perspective, of the effects of sexual abuse on all aspects of the victim's life. John speaks out about the details of his abuse and the family culture that enabled generations of abusers to victimize its children. His searing openness throws a spotlight on the darkly kept secrets of childhood sexual abuse, and his story will serve as an inspiration to everyone who longs to embrace their own healing journeys.
This loss of innocence fable is set in New York City at the height of the Vietnam war. In it an idealistic Marine confronts the horrors that await him and glimpses the societal structures that enable those horrors and are indifferent to them. It's a gripping good read (only 3000 words).
Forgotten Warriors: Living with PTSD By: Eddie L. Kemp, Sr. On May 16, 1968 in North Vietnam Eddie L. Kemp, Sr., a United States Marine, was severely wounded by an artillery attack on his military base. The U.S. Marine Corps notified his mother and family at their home in Texas that he had been killed in action. Kemp woke up in what he now believes was the morgue, filled with beds of dead. Marines under white sheets, thinking he was the only survivor. This Marine returned home with a severe loss of memory, excruciating pains in his body and deep emotional scars affecting him throughout his life. Like many veterans of the Vietnam War, Kemp returned home from combat to find himself hated by the American people he had volunteered to protect, defend and die for, abandoned by the Federal Government or Veterans Administration who refused to treat him with the dignity and respect he had earned as an honorably discharged combat veteran, and suffering with what he would learn decades later were severe symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that has resulted in the suicide of many of our war veterans at an alarming rate today. Kemp candidly recalls numerous problems living with PTSD caused in his life. He describes in detail the psychological and physical suffering he was forced to live alone with for years because he thought no one would understand or people would think he was insane. However, like the Marine he is, Kemp fought the demons every day to live and is still fighting those same demons from hell today. This Marine found the courage and strength to tell the suicidal voices of PTSD in his head that he would not become one of their victims. After years of trying to make sense of what happened on that tragic day, Kemp was connected with two pieces of the puzzle. Exactly forty years after that ill-fated day in May 1968, two Marines wounded in combat with him reunited with Kemp. After weeks of talking to them, the flashbacks experiences almost daily began to form complete pictures for him. Finally, he had someone else who truly understood what living in hell was all about. You never know what tomorrow brings, but Kemp hopes this book will help veterans and others living with PTSD find a way to cope, fight and live another day. With the support of those who found a way to love him, in spite of, today this Marine continues to battle the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the “dignity and respect” earned as a United States Marine. Realizing this is a major battle for many, Kemp’s message is especially for veterans struggling with this problem. Choosing death should not be the final option. Even when you have been made to feel worthless, you are irreplaceable and of immeasurable value to those closest to you. Kemp encourages you to continue the fight because somebody needs you to stay in the race. ~Semper Fi~
Lieutenant Commander “Gunner” McCormick is assigned as an intelligence officer to Carrier Strike Force 10, being deployed to the Yellow Sea at the invitation of South Korea for joint exercises with the US Navy. During his pre-deployment briefing, he discovers a TOP-SECRET MEMO revealing rumors that the North Koreans may still be holding a handful of elderly Americans from the Korean War in secret prison camps. As it happens, Gunner’s grandfather, who was a young marine officer in the Korean War, disappeared at Chosin Reservoir over 60 years ago and is still listed as MIA in North Korea. Sworn to silence about what he has read, the top-secret memo eats at him. Gunner decides to spend all his inheritance and break every military regulation in the book to finance his own three-man commando squad on a suicide mission north of the DMZ to search for clues about the fate of his grandfather. Risking his career, his fortune, and his life, Gunner will get his answers, or he will die trying. Don Brown is building a loyal fan base by writing what he knows best: thrillers with heart. A former Navy JAG officer and action officer in the Pentagon, Brown pens action-packed plots and finely-drawn characters that are credible and compelling. Thunder in the Morning Calm is a novel of bravery, duty, and family love that will keep readers of all ages reading straight through to the last page.
As World War II enters her backyard, a young girl tries to cope with the war and keep her family together by completing a bucket list with her best friend: her dog Happy. Featuring a dog’s POV and inspired by real-life experiences of a young Pearl Harbor survivor, this historical middle-grade novel will inspire readers 8-12 to find courage in any situation. It’s 1940, and Jody is moving with her military family yet again—this time to a small naval base in Pearl Harbor. She’s always created a “top ten” list for each new home to help her adjust, and with Hawaii being so beautiful and her loyal dog Happy by her side, it’s easy to find things to add. But Jody’s mom is convinced the island is dangerous and starts constantly practicing first aid. Jody also learns that Happy is getting older and beginning to slow down. To cope, she makes a list of fun things they can do together. “Operation: Happy” gives her something to focus on beyond the scary new experiences, like air raid drills and Yellow Fever vaccinations. Before long, everyone’s worst fears come true: Pearl Harbor is attacked. In the aftermath, Jody’s father must stay behind as the rest of the family is evacuated, and Jody promises him she will keep everyone together. But things are hard in San Francisco, where she feels like an outsider. Worse, her mother has become depressed, and Jody worries she and her sister will have to go to an orphanage. With Happy by her side, Jody hatches a brave plan to keep the family safe … Will Operation: Happy see them through? Operation: Happy is: perfect for fans of historical fiction as well as animal lovers a moving and historically accurate novel inspired by true events ideal for readers of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and Kate DiCamillo
