Veterans Day Chain Email is Partly Truth, Partly Fiction

A Fallen Airman and a Fly-by-Night Ending 

Why you can't believe everything you read in a patriotic chain email and why it matters--especially today, Veteran's Day.

When it comes to war and heroism, truth is usually stronger than fiction. Most made-up stories of what people do in risking their own lives--or their reputation-- to save another, usually don’t hold a candle to the real deal. So, why, I'd like to know, do people keep spreading stories-- stories that are either patently untrue, or are only partially true, in order to advance their cause of Truth, Justice and the American Way?  Because ultimately, no matter how good or true the cause, nothing good ever comes from a lie that's used to "flavor" or enhance it.

The Venue:  Chain email sent to thousands--perhaps millions of people today on Veteran's Day--to (allegedly) stir up feelings of patriotism and favorable feelings about Christianity.

The Story:  Resident in Albuquerque, NM writes in to a local newspaper to complain--in a highly sarcastic letter-- about fly-by of jets from a local Air Force base (Luke Air Force Base)  that were headed for a fallen serviceman's (Captain Jeremy Fresques) memorial service.

Fallen serviceman responds to said resident with moving and patriotic tribute to both his fallen serviceman and to the armed forces in general, ending the letter--allegedly--with the closing sentence: "Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you ... Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom."

The Problem: While most of the story is true, neither the real name of the Lt. Col. (Lt. Col. Scott Pleus) who wrote the response, or the evangelistic final closing sentences of the letter was. Somewhere along the line--I can only imagine it was the original sender of the chain version of the letter--added those sentences intended to make the Lt. Col a "God fearing man" when, in fact, he never indicated whether he was a man of faith or not. Also an important piece of information was conveniently left out:  the man who issued the complaint about the fly-by later issued a sincere letter of apology and, on top of that, was a veteran himself.

When Hollywood Had Heroes: What Got Jimmy Stewart Through 20 Combat Missions

Jimmy, my main squeeze

 The Golden Era: A Time When Hollywood Was Patriotic and Actors—Gasp!—Read the Bible

The oft-quoted maxim, “They don’t make them like the used to,” surely must apply to my man Jimmy, who was–and is–my favorite actor in the whole wide world. As someone else once said, “He was a prince of a man.”

In fact, I’d always vowed that when Jimmy Stewart died, I’d wear black for a week. I was completely serious. Unfortunately, I was on an outdoor adventure travel writing assignment in Washington state when Jimmy Stewart slipped the surly bonds of this earth, and I doubt my then-editor would have taken too kindly to my sending photos of myself dressed in black hiking gear. 

But I digress. My point here is that Jimmy Stewart was far more than a consummate actor, dedicated family man and all-around standup guy. He was also a rarity among today’s celebs—a decorated war veteran who served his country with great distinction.

Just as important, he loved God–without embarrassment. Brig. Gen James Maitland Stewart acknowledged his dependence upon his Supreme Commander during his time in the trenches (more like the air ways since he was, after all, an Air Force man) and, as such, he found particular comfort in the famous “Soldier’s Psalm”: Psalm 91.

Read the following letter Jimmy’s dad wrote him—a letter that he found so emotional, he was apparently unable to read it to his son aloud.

My dear Jim-Boy,

Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger. Jim, I am banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words. I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through this mad experience. I can say no more. I only continue to pray. Goodbye, my dear. God continue to bless and keep you. I love you more than I can tell you. – Dad

"The truth? You Can't Handle the Truth": Why Soldiers Won't Talk About What They've Seen

"The truth? You Can't Handle the Truth." - from A Few Good Men

"A Marine asking for help is pretty rare. Being willing to get help...that's almost admitting that you're failing, that you can't do it by yourself–that you need somebody else to help you." - Cpl. Dan Gay, U.S. Marine Corps

    Wounded warriors.  There are a lot of them–certainly more than the V.A. can handle.  Yet even if all the resources in the world were available to help soldiers suffering from PTSD, chances are good that many–if not most–of them would still go untreated.  The question is, why?

       Simply put, it's because most returning soldiers make very few deliberate attempts at seeking help–even from, or more accurately, especially from–those they love. If they reach out at all, it's through unconscious ways––like suicide victim Jeff Lucey did with this mother when he asked her to listen to the lyrics of a song that he believed expressed the acute pain he felt, but could never seem to share. Once again, the question I had was, why? (Read Jeff's story.)

6 Reasons Why a Soldier Doesn't Talk

I've listened to a lot of the experts, and this is what they tell us–indeed the soldiers themselves will tell you if you press them (I've talked to a few)–about why they won't talk to family, friends or mental health professionals: