Product Description

Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul will inspire and touch any veterans and their families, and allow others to appreciate the freedom for which they fought.

A compelling collection of the true-life experiences of extraordinary men and women in every branch of service, who changed the course of history by their acts of valor in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War. Their experiences offer a glimpse of timeless history, revealing moments of compassion, bravery, respect and reverence. With chapters on Above and Beyond, The Home Front, The Front Lines, Coming Home, Healing, Brothers in Arms and Honoring Those Who Served, this collection relays heroic deeds, acts of compassion and empathy, fears confronted, and victories attained.

This is a wonderful tribute to anyone who gave in service to their country, as well as to their families.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79753 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05
• Released on: 2001-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This self-help-guide-cum-tribute to veterans will appeal to wide readership (approximately 27 million Americans are veterans), just as so many other entries in Canfield and Hansen's blockbuster series have. Slagter founder of Veteran Stories Inc., "a corporation dedicated to honoring veterans from all wars and all branches of service" and the soul-soothing duo have recruited a strong lineup of contributors, among them Sen. John McCain, Bob Hope, Charles Kuralt (their names are on the cover as contributors), Secretary of State Colin Powell, Sen. Daniel Inouye and 75 others; and Walter Cronkite checks in with a blurb on the back of the book. Ranging from the terrifying ("I was blind, stunned, in pain, bleeding profusely and very much alone" at the controls of an attack plane over North Korea, recounts Kenneth A. Schechter) to the stoic ("With his eyes nearly swollen shut from the beating, [Mike Christian] had quietly picked up his needle and thread and begun sewing a new [American] flag," recalls McCain of a co-prisoner in North Vietnam) to the deeply moving, the stories relate triumphs of the spirit and often of the body. Some profits will go to the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association and other organizations. Photos. (May)Forecast: With a release in plenty of time for Memorial Day and a near-infallible brand identity, expect a run up paperback bestseller lists.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the New York Times and USA Today best-selling co-authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, have dedicated their lives to the personal and professional success of others.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the New York Times and USA Today best-selling co-authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, have dedicated their lives to the personal and professional success of others.

Sidney R. Slagter is the founder and president of Veteran Stories, Inc., a corporation dedicated to recognizing and honoring veterans from all wars and all branches of service. Born into a family of veterans, he developed a passion for military history at an early age. He has appeared as a guest speaker on television and radio shows, and recently addressed the members and guests of the Medal of Honor Society in Pueblo, Colorado

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Against the Odds

 

It was the summer of 1942. I was nineteen years old and a signalman third class on the USS Astoria stationed in the South Pacific.

One hot night in August, we found ourselves skirmishing with the Japanese for control of Guadalcanal, gearing up for the bloody battle that soon followed. At midnight, I finished my duty on watch. Still wearing my work detail uniform of dungarees and a T-shirt, and only pausing long enough to unstrap my standard-issue life belt and lay it beside me, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

Two hours later, I was awakened abruptly by the sound of an explosion. I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding. Without thinking, I grabbed my life belt and strapped it on. In the ensuing chaos, I focused on dodging the rain of enemy shells that were inflicting death and destruction all around me. I took some shrapnel in my right shoulder and leg, but by some miracle, I avoided being killed.

That first battle of Savo Island lasted for twenty minutes. After the enemy fire ceased, the men left standing helped with the wounded, while others manned the guns.

I was making my way toward a gun turret when suddenly, the deck disappeared. My legs windmilled beneath me as I realized that an explosion had blasted me off the deck. My shock was immediately replaced by a stomach-clenching fear as I fell like a stone—thirty feet into the dark, shark-infested water below.

I immediately inflated my life belt, weak with relief that I'd somehow remembered to put it on. I noticed between ten and thirty men bobbing in the water in the area, but we were too far away from each other to communicate.

I began treading water, trying to stay calm as I felt things brushing against my legs, knowing that if a shark attacked me, any moment could be my last. And the sharks weren't the only danger: The powerful current threatened to sweep me out to sea.

Four agonizing hours passed this way. It was getting light when I saw a ship—an American destroyer—approaching. The sailors on board threw me a line and hauled me aboard.

Once on the ship, my legs buckled and I slid to the deck, unable to stand. I was fed and allowed to rest briefly. Then I was transported back to the Astoria, which, though disabled, was still afloat. The captain was attempting to beach the ship in order to make the necessary repairs.

Back on board the Astoria, I spent the next six hours preparing the dead for burial at sea. As the hours passed, it became clear our vessel was damaged beyond help. The ship was taking on water and finally, around twelve hundred hours, the Astoria began to roll and go under.

The last thing I wanted to do was to go into that water again, but I knew I had to. Filled with dread, I jumped off the high side of the sinking ship and began swimming. Although I still had my life belt on, it couldn't be inflated a second time. Luckily, I was soon picked up by another destroyer and transferred to the USS Jackson.

Against all the odds, I had made it—one of the lucky men to survive the battle of Savo Island. We were issued Marine uniforms, and I spent my time, in between visits to the ship's doctors for treatment of my wounds, sitting on the deck of the Jackson, waiting for our transport to San Francisco's Treasure Island and the leave that would follow.

Though it felt odd to wear the unfamiliar uniform, I wasn't sad to lose my old dungarees and T-shirt. The one thing I found I didn't want to give up was my life belt. I hung on to the khaki cloth-covered rubber belt, studying it sometimes as I sat around on the Marine ship.

The label on the belt said it had been manufactured by Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, which was my hometown. I decided to keep the belt as a souvenir, a reminder of how lucky I'd been.

When I finally took my thirty-day leave, I went home to my family in Ohio. After a quietly emotional welcome, I sat with my mother in our kitchen, telling her about my recent ordeal and hearing what had happened at home since I went away. My mother informed me that "to do her part," she had taken a wartime job at the Firestone plant. Surprised, I jumped up and grabbed my life belt from my duffel bag, putting it on the table in front of her.

"Take a look at that, Mom," I said. "It was made right here in Akron at your plant."

She leaned forward and, taking the rubber belt in her hands, she read the label. She had just heard the story and knew that in the darkness of that terrible night, it was this one piece of rubber that had saved my life. When she looked up at me, her mouth and her eyes were open wide with surprise. "Son, I'm an inspector at Firestone. This is my inspector number," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

We stared at each other, too stunned to speak. Then I stood up, walked around the table and pulled her up from her chair. We held each other in a tight embrace, saying nothing. My mother was not a demonstrative woman, but the significance of this amazing coincidence overcame her usual reserve. We hugged each other for a long, long time, feeling the bond between us. My mother had put her arms halfway around the world to save me.

Elgin Staples

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(c)2000 Elgin Staples. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Sidney R. Slagter. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.

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Customer Reviews

What a wonderful book honoring our Veterans!
This was a truly inspiring compilation of stories by our nation's veterans. Being in the Armed Forces myself, I really enjoyed these stories of men and women who served before I entered the military. This book made me so proud of our veterans. I enjoyed this book so much, I sent a copy to my grandfather, who served in World War II and now walkes and moves with much difficulty from wounds he received in combat. He also enjoyed this book, relating to many of the stories. I would definitely recommend this book to all our veterans and anyone who now serves in our Armed Forces. I would also highly encourage anyone else to read it. It really honors all the men and women who would sacrifice their lives for the priviledges and rights our country offers us.

One Of The Most Important Books To Hit The Market!!
This tribute to our veterans is incredibly powerful and quite moving. "Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul" should be in every household and history classroom in America. Whether you are a veteran or not, buy this book. Each story is fascinating and written from a very personal point of view. That makes it difficult to put down. Veterans Day will no longer be just another holiday to me thanks to "Vet's Soul".

I Loved It
This book was sent to me from a dear friend and I love this book so much. I think all Veterans will love it and heck anyone should. It is a book I will cherish always!