The Power of Having Purpose
In the Healing of Grief
The purpose of life is to have a life of purpose. Robert Byrne
Two books to read to help or really understand vets.
My two favorite veteran writers found purpose in their lives to help them heal from grief and PTSD. Daniel Rodriquez in RISE and John Wesley Fisher in ANGELS IN VIETNAM. Both were infantry front line soldiers in the worst heat of the wars. Daniel in Iraq and Afganistan with Fisher in Viet Nam. Daniel's purpose was his decision to play Major College Football, despite his small stature, and he accomplished his goal. He co-wrote a very successful book, which was purchased by Sony for a future movie. Now a graduate, he is an inspirational speaker on tour.
John’s purpose is healing and taking vets. Back to Viet Nam, where he helps out at Healing Centers, and re-introduces vets back to their former “enemies”, who take them right into their homes and treats them like Brothers.
It is 1967 and Charile Armfield is just a few weeks away from the world championship surfing competition when his life is turned upside down and he finds himself, instead, preparing for battle on the front lines in Vietnam. In his struggle to survive, Charlie turns to techniques that made him a champion at home. As his experiences damage his heart and his spirit, he tries to understand the war and his part in it.
Charlie’s homecoming does little to ease the conflict in his soul so he undertakes a journey to redemption and understanding that leads him from one coast to the other and then to the opposite end of the world where he is finally able to come to terms with his past and to begin to understand what his future could be.
This new edition of John Wesley Fisher’s debut novel presents readers with believable characters and a compelling story even as it offers healing and comfort to veterans of conflicts beyond Vietnam. The deep understanding of a soldier’s experience is as valid for today’s warriors as it was for Charlie Armfield.
Charlie’s homecoming does little to ease the conflict in his soul so he undertakes a journey to redemption and understanding that leads him from one coast to the other and then to the opposite end of the world where he is finally able to come to terms with his past and to begin to understand what his future could be.
This new edition of John Wesley Fisher’s debut novel presents readers with believable characters and a compelling story even as it offers healing and comfort to veterans of conflicts beyond Vietnam. The deep understanding of a soldier’s experience is as valid for today’s warriors as it was for Charlie Armfield.
By Cynthia
Format:Paperback
I am an avid reader and I have never had a book capture all my emotions like this one. I was not to familiar with this war but I now have such a heart felt understanding for our soldiers and the pain that they went through during battle and afterwards at home that it is heart breaking and yet wonderful to know that there is help for their emotional state. A must read.
Debbie S.
Debbie S.
Thanks Ron...I'm going to order it 
My son has spent 4 yrs. of his life on 4 tours, 2 in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan. He's a Warrant Officer 2 in the Army and still IN the Army, even after a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Of course he, nor anyone else will tell me much about the injuries he got with the Purple Heart, but the basic story is that he was with some guys and going to retrieve a downed Humvee. They'd all just gotten out of their vehicle when an IED hit. My son was unconscious, and when he came to, he gathered up his guys (and some were dead and in pieces and parts), put them in their vehicle and drove back to base. I heard he had head trauma and was transferred to a hospital for several months. I also heard he has very bad PTSD. WHY he's still in the Army, I don't know. I saw him in July 2013 when he came home for my other son's funeral. Yeah, I unexpectedly lost the child I never thought I would, and that son's death was suspicious. He was a peace officer, but was off work when he died. Anyway, my son who died received a 21 gun salute at his funeral, and my military son almost fainted dead away at the noise. Just crazy awful. My own dad was at Nagasaki after they dropped the bomb, and he had night terrors and would wake up screaming. They did not call that PTSD then. He dropped dead at 35. I found out the bomb was plutonium and affects muscle, and the heart is a muscle. Many others suffered ongoing heart attacks or died young of heart attacks or heart problems besides the cancer. My military son's father and uncle were both Vietnam veterans and they both killed themselves. Yeah...I've pretty much been surrounded by the darker side of war and why, in my first public speech at a peace rally, my most famous line (I guess, since it ended up on NPR radio) was that WAR FOLLOWS EVERY SOLDIER HOME. It does Ron, believe me, it does. Hugs friend xoxoxo
My son has spent 4 yrs. of his life on 4 tours, 2 in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan. He's a Warrant Officer 2 in the Army and still IN the Army, even after a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Of course he, nor anyone else will tell me much about the injuries he got with the Purple Heart, but the basic story is that he was with some guys and going to retrieve a downed Humvee. They'd all just gotten out of their vehicle when an IED hit. My son was unconscious, and when he came to, he gathered up his guys (and some were dead and in pieces and parts), put them in their vehicle and drove back to base. I heard he had head trauma and was transferred to a hospital for several months. I also heard he has very bad PTSD. WHY he's still in the Army, I don't know. I saw him in July 2013 when he came home for my other son's funeral. Yeah, I unexpectedly lost the child I never thought I would, and that son's death was suspicious. He was a peace officer, but was off work when he died. Anyway, my son who died received a 21 gun salute at his funeral, and my military son almost fainted dead away at the noise. Just crazy awful. My own dad was at Nagasaki after they dropped the bomb, and he had night terrors and would wake up screaming. They did not call that PTSD then. He dropped dead at 35. I found out the bomb was plutonium and affects muscle, and the heart is a muscle. Many others suffered ongoing heart attacks or died young of heart attacks or heart problems besides the cancer. My military son's father and uncle were both Vietnam veterans and they both killed themselves. Yeah...I've pretty much been surrounded by the darker side of war and why, in my first public speech at a peace rally, my most famous line (I guess, since it ended up on NPR radio) was that WAR FOLLOWS EVERY SOLDIER HOME. It does Ron, believe me, it does. Hugs friend xoxoxoReview
"Daniel Rodriguez–a decorated combat veteran–doesn’t sugarcoat the hard parts of his life. A warrior who fought on the battlefield, wrestled with PTSD, and now wins victories on the gridiron, his story reminds us that with grit and determination we can move through suffering to strength. Rise is an inspiring story of a resilient warrior who knows what it means to keep a promise." –Eric Greitens, Navy SEAL and author of New York Times bestseller, The Heart and the Fist
"RISE is a surreal look at what today's youth should aspire to accomplish. From Virginia to Iraq, from Afghanistan to South Carolina, Daniel Rodriguez shows the grit and determination it takes to rise above the hardships life throws at you. Life is designed to beat you down. Daniel shows you how to kick its ass." –Major Rusty Bradley, U.S. Army (ret.), bestselling author of Lions of Kandahar
"Daniel's service to his country and his ability to follow his dreams is what is truly right with America. His story, as movingly told in Rise, is a great example of where hard work, determination, and a never-quit attitude can get you." –Sal Giunta, Medal of Honor recipient and author of the New York Times bestseller, Living with Honor
"RISE is a surreal look at what today's youth should aspire to accomplish. From Virginia to Iraq, from Afghanistan to South Carolina, Daniel Rodriguez shows the grit and determination it takes to rise above the hardships life throws at you. Life is designed to beat you down. Daniel shows you how to kick its ass." –Major Rusty Bradley, U.S. Army (ret.), bestselling author of Lions of Kandahar
"Daniel's service to his country and his ability to follow his dreams is what is truly right with America. His story, as movingly told in Rise, is a great example of where hard work, determination, and a never-quit attitude can get you." –Sal Giunta, Medal of Honor recipient and author of the New York Times bestseller, Living with Honor
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