Sunday, May 25, 2014

Memorial Day

I have been giving profiles of the characters for my upcoming novel Sharing Strength. The book follows a five member support group for sufferers and survivors of PTSD. While there are several reasons people develop the disorder one of the best known group that gets diagnosed is the military.


I  honor of all of those serving, that have served and that will serve I wanted to take a moment and share some of my experiences with military and those that are living with PTSD. I have a family history of Army service and if not for an injury I suffered when I was twenty I would have been a soldier myself. I have been friends with those that serve for many years including a few that went through ROTC and Junior ROTC programs when we were teenagers.


I have been dating a wonderful Marine Veteran for the last 4 years and have learned so much about his service and felt his pride everyday. I am so proud to be a supporter of our service men and women and hope that I will eventually be able to continue with my charity books and be able to partner with an armed forces organization.


I have Rescue Me - Animal Anthology that is donating the proceeds to War Dogs Making It Home, an organization that helps Veterans that are disabled and / or suffer from PTSD with therapy dogs. I love animals and when I found a charity that combined animals with PTSD I couldn't even consider looking any further.


These brave souls have seen and experienced things beyond most of our imaginations. What they have been through will stay with them forever and it will be a coping system for life. It is not just the brave men and women that have gone through the combat and come home different but also the family and friends that will have to spend the rest of their lives with the adapted changes in order to help those that survived.


I want to take a moment to thank everyone that defends our great country as well as the families that serve right alongside them. However I ask that you thank our military and veterans not just this Memorial Day Weekend or even just during this Military Appreciation Month but every chance you get. They are the reason we have the freedom to live the lives we love and they deserve our love, understanding, appreciation, compassion and above all respect.

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