Veterans Day on November 11 honors all who served in the U.S. armed forces. The Veterans Administration provides crucial health care and education through the VHA system. Personal stories highlight the deep bonds between veterans and their families. Meets a wounded veteran’s therapy dog serving as his best man at his wedding.
updated November 4, 2024
In the United States, we reserve Veterans Day, November 11, the Armistice of World War I, to remember and honor all who do or have served in our armed forces. Other countries have similar observances.
If you have ever received care from a physician trained in the United States, that doctor likely learned from a veteran in a VHA facility. So our veterans continue to serve even after they leave military service.
The Vietnam Women’s Memorial was established to honor the 265,000 military and civilian women who served around the world during the Vietnam War. photo by Dr. Aletha
I believe your heart will be touched by this story about the special relationship between a wounded veteran and his therapy dog. Mine certainly was.
“It’s been quite a journey for U.S. Army veteran Justin Lansford and his canine companion, Gabe.
In 2012, Lansford lost his left leg in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.
This past weekend, Gabe had his paws full with an entirely new slew of responsibilities, serving as the best man in Lansford’s wedding to longtime girlfriend, Carol Balmes.”
photo by Dr. Aletha
My husband served in the Army and was deployed to Vietnam in the 1970s. Here is his story.
“I didn’t want to ever go to Vietnam again when I came home in 1972 after a one-year tour of duty with the United States Army. I was stationed with the Americal Division, 3/18 Field Artillery Battalion near Tra Bong, a major village located about 25 miles west of Chu Lai, the headquarters of the Americal Division, on “China Beach” at the South China Sea.”
Raymond and I at the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Washington, DC
a special Memorial Day observance at a unique veterans’ memorial
Doug Scott Sculpture at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Angel Fire New Mexico; I am kneeling in the background, viewing the veterans’ memorial walkway; Photo by Raymond Oglesby
“The people around us are starving for love and we need to unlock our pantry and see to it that everybody gets a belly full.”
Billy and Jingles, a veteran and his wife, entertain at a medical clinic in Vietnam (photo by Dr. Aletha)
sharing the HEART of respect and gratitude for those who served
Please share this post and leave a comment as a tribute to a veteran you love and admire. This post was featured on
I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.
Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.
I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.
Even if you are not old enough to remember the war the United States fought in VietNam in the 1960s and 1970s, you likely have seen the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of the “Napalm girl” running down a dirt road, fleeing an attack that burned most of her body. Taken to a hospital, she was presumed dead.
But Kim Phuc Phan Thi survived and lived to lead a life worthy of being told. And she did, writing her memoir
In wartime Vietnam, 1972, 8-year-old Kim Phuc Phan Thi almost died after being severely burned when a napalm bomb fell on her village.
Initially left for dead in a morgue, she survived after multiple surgeries on the burns which left her permanently scarred on much of her body. She was known as the “girl in the picture” the memories of which haunted her.
A devout follower of the Cao Dai religion, she lived in shame, fear, pain, and despair, until she encountered Jesus in the Bible and dedicated her life to living for Him.
After years of poverty and persecution in Vietnam, Russia, and Cuba, Kim and her husband resettled in Canada where they tried to rebuild their lives. But she still felt unease, with nightmares interrupting her sleep.
“For many years I had lived in outright fear, knowing that I was always within two or three days of being detained by communist minders. The incessant guardedness left me cynical and exhausted, and I had simply had enough.
I determined in my heart that I would no longer live like that, always fretful over what the days might hold, always fearing the worst. I went to Toan (her husband) and said that I would no longer live in fear, that I would practice the courage Jesus promises his followers all through Scripture.
I recounted several Bible verses, especially the idea that we are no longer slaves to fear because we have been adopted into the very family of God. I will stop running from my fears, from my picture, from my past. Starting now I refuse to hide. The following morning I woke with fresh resolve, determined to simply live my life.”
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Now Kim’s dedication to her Christian faith and to sharing her joy and peace takes her all over the world. She met the late Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, billionaire Richard Branson, and the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg. She speaks to business people, government officials, college students, and the news media. She has been awarded six honorary doctorates.
In her speeches and in this memoir she explains what compels her to leave her home in Canada several times a year to tell her story and urge the world to embrace forgiveness and love.
Kim founded a non-profit organization KIM Foundation International to serve children who are disabled, disenfranchised, or displaced as she was as a child in Vietnam.
“My faith in Jesus Christ is what enabled me to forgive those who had wronged me to pray for my enemies rather than curse them to love them, not just tolerate them, but to love them. “
Kim
Kim’s message-Hope and Forgiveness
I found Kim’s book riveting, challenging, and faith-building and I believe you will also. Kim’s belief in and reliance on the power of prayer challenges me to pray more for my friends and family and expect answers.
a rice paddy in Vietnam, photo by Dr. Aletha “my husband served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and we have traveled there several times since. ”
I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House Publishers. Find Kim’s book at Tyndale and join the rewards club to earn free books.
As a member, you’ll have access to inspiring literature, Bibles, special promotional offers, and much more. Earning points is easy—you’ll receive 25 points just for signing up!
You can also earn points when you:
Shop at Tyndale.com or NavPress.com
Refer a friend
Write reviews
Take surveys
Sign up for e-newsletters and e-devotionals
And more!
My Reader Rewards Clubis a great way to earn free books and Bibles for yourself, friends, and family! Your journey to earning free faith-based products starts HERE.
(By your signing up through these links, I can earn free books that I may review for this blog.)
Thank you for considering the affiliate links that support this blog.
These three remain, faith, hope and love, and greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 graphic from the photo site LIGHTSTOCK.COM, an affiliate link
exploring the HEART of hope and healing
I’d love for you to follow this blog. I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.
Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.
I enjoy seeing who is new to Watercress Words. When you subscribe, I will visit your blog or website. Thanks and see you next time.
Dr. Aletha
Before you go…
Consider reading this story which explains why my husband and I have traveled to Vietnam multiple times
This post shares a personal journey of unexpected love, marriage, and struggles stemming from unrecognized PTSD. It delves into the transformative power of reconciliation and healing trips to Vietnam, ultimately bringing hope and joy. Through various life-changing encounters, the couple’s story exemplifies the impact of powerful, unforeseen words and encounters.
Use these links to share the heart of health wherever you connect.
watercress words by Dr Aletha 