Guest Author - Gary King

I think every person who wants to know more about what it would be like to have served in Vietnam, or what it would be like to be seriously wounded and have to deal with the trauma of something like this, should read the book Lucky Enough.

Phil Hughes, Colonel, USMC (Ret.), wrote the following about this book:

"You won't be able to set this book down. Ed Beesley reveals his innermost thoughts as he deals with some of the toughest battles life has to dish out. A young man driven to join what he thought at the time was the pinnacle of achievement--becoming a United States Marine. Little did he know that this decision would end up presenting life challenges that most of us can never fathom. Ed's feelings as he steps on a land mine that will cost him his legs, kill the Marines around him, and change his life forever grip the reader by the throat and don't let go. How does it feel to return home and be reviled by Americans who did not believe in the Vietnam War? How hard is it to deal with the loss of your legs? How does it feel to be haunted by the feelings that your actions resulted in the death of your platoon commander who had just become a proud father to a beautiful baby girl. Ed opens his emotions to us as he details how he dealt with these deeply emotional trials, as well as the comfort he received from meeting his beautiful and caring wife, Connie, and finally coming to terms with the family of his platoon commander. His visit to the Wall eventually provided Ed a chance to come to terms with himself and the others around him. His success in life and his determination to serve others is revealed in his thoughts as he finally sits silently in front of the Wall. This is an incredibly touching collection of a Marine's life memories. It leave you thinking about your own."

The above was written by Phil Hughes, Colonel, USMC (Ret.) and tells it probably better than anyone else can, because a Marine Corps officer knows better than most what Eddie Beesley went through, both as a Marine and after he was wounded and returned to civilian life.

My own review of LUCKY ENOUGH is located via a related link at http://koreanvet.com/beesley.

One place where you can get an idea of what kind of American Eddie Beesley is can be found near the start of his book LUCKY ENOUGH, and I quote:

"...The car is loaded. Children ride past on their bicycles on the way to school. I raise my eyes to the sky and see Old Glory flying unfurled on the flagpole in my front yard. Two of my grandchildren come out. I pick them up and put them in the swing attached to the eave of the walkway.

"With Dillon and Ariel in the swing and Old Glory flying in the background, I have to stop and take a picture. I life my eyes to heaven and whisper, "Thank you God, that I am an American and please continue to bless America." I wipe the tears from my eyes as we get in the car. We are on our way to Washington, D.C..."

The preceeding was near the start of the book but covering a period after Eddie returned from Vietnam and after he was wounded and lost his legs. That kind of pride and dedication to a nation does not grow on trees. It comes from deep within and should humble most of us who will never have to be subjected to what Eddie Beesley faced.

Eddie Beesley makes you proud to be an American and he makes you want to stand up and applaud him, to stand up and salute the American flag yourself.

LUCKY ENOUGH is not a huge book, when it comes to number of pages (the copy I received is paperbook with a very attractive cover and 100 pages). But those 100 pages are packed with VALUE of the highest caliber and contain the prolific secrets of the life of a man on a mission to do what he wanted to do, to do what he felt would be the best he could be, and to do what was right.

You have to read LUCKY ENOUGH to find out what it means to lose both your legs and to find the courage, dedication, and determination to go on with your life and rise above what that kind of trauma can do to a human being. You have to read LUCKY ENOUGH to find out what it is like to be a Marine who is dedicated to being the best he can be as one of the few, the proud, and the Marines. You have to read LUCKY ENOUGH to know what courage really is when your own emotions threaten to take you apart and blow your self-esteem to bits.

I have what is becoming a very sophisticated award program, called the Sovereign Gold Awards, and Eddie Beesley has been selected to receive the Sovereign Gold SILVER Award. The recipeints of the Sovereign Gold Awards in the past include: USN Blue Angels, USAF Thunderbirds, Canadian Snowbirds, British Red Arrows, Toys for Tots Program, and even George Bush and Tony Blair.

The Vietnam War Memorial, the Wall, located in Washington, D.C. is a powerful and awesome memorial to those who gave their lives in Vietnam. Two adjoining black granite walls, almost five hundred feet in length and over ten feet high in the middle, contain one hundred forty panels numbered from the east and from the west. On these walls are inscribed the names of the 58,249 people who gave their lives in the service of their country. The names are listed, without reference to rank, in the order the deaths were reported, the first in 1959 and the last in 1975. Since the building of the wall, new names have been added, dating back to 1956.

Jan Scruggs, who served as President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and authored a book about the memorial, conceived the idea. The design architect, Maya Lin, wanted the Wall to tell the tragedy of the war. To show the Vietnam experience as a wound that is healing, she designed it as a closed circle. There are two arms, pointing toward other memorials in the National Mall (also home to the Washington Monument, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and Korean War Memorial).

The Wall has indeed become a source of healing for veterans, family and friends of those who never came home, and a nation that was politically divided. Built under the leadership of the veterans themselves, it has become a source of pride for Americans. In its simplicity, it has to power to inspire those who visit. A tradition of leaving messages and mementos at the base of the wall has continued from its construction in 1982.

Although the was spanned nearly twenty years from the first to last deaths and it became a divisive political conundrum, the memorial is not political. It serves to heal wounds and educate those who visit.

For additional information, visit the web sites www.virtualwall.org and www.nps.gov/vive/home.htm.