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www.luckyenoughthebook.com
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He has been my hero my entire life., December 29, 2005
"Some things you choose, other things are chosen for you". This
quote is on the cover of his book and until you read the book
and see his life so bravely laid out on the 100 pages, you
cannot possibly imagine how profound that statement really is.
He was wounded 2 months before I was even born and yet he has
been my hero for my entire life. How can that be when I only
just a month ago received his book in the mail? Because he is
everything I have always wanted to be. When the chips are down,
have you ever wondered what sort of person you really are? I
have. Have you ever wondered if you would tuck and run or stand
and go the distance? Mr. Beesley was wounded on August 31, 1965,
subsequently losing both legs and has since "gone the distance",
went through recovery, rehab, got married had children and
grandchildren and made a real life- some of which those of us
without wounds have never accomplished. But those may not have
even been his toughest hurdles. He had thought long and hard
about visiting the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, perhaps even
fearing what he might feel when he actually touched it and felt
its presence. It might seem odd to some that a man who was such
a strong young Marine and such a proud man that the Wall would
be his tumbling block. He had been through so much and not only
endured, but prevailed! But it indeed was. I am not a veteran
and I cannot tell you the powerful experience it is to see the
sea of names as far as the eye can see. It is not a presence to
see as much as it is to feel. I cannot imagine how powerful it
probably is for a veteran and particularly for someone who has
already sacrificed so much. He faced the stone monument to life
and death the same way he faced his wounds- with great honor and
spirit that few possess, but with stuff that seems to be
remarkable possessed by so many Marines. These are the reasons
he has been my hero, even before I read his book. He has risen
to every foe.
It is not a long book, only 100 pages, but you don't feel as if
he has left things out in order to save space or spare his
feelings. He has told his story in the powerful way that some
epic novels require 5 times the space. There are times when you
close your eyes and you see into the past and when you open them
a tear will fall. You will probably wonder if you would have
been able to do what he has done. Many could not. You will feel
sad that so many men and women have suffered so much and feel
even more touched when you realize his book is not about what
the world owes him, though we clearly do, but about his journey,
plain and simple, to where he is today. It is a place of envy
for most of us. It would be so much easier to be bitter and
angry and to spend your life in regret. I don't know if I would
or not. But he is a Marine, to the core. The author is a man of
strength and honor and great insight. He lost his legs to a war
in a time when few appreciated or respected his sacrifice and
yet he still stands taller than almost anyone I know. Read the
book. It will be the best read you have had in a long time. It
is truly the smallest package with the largest gift inside.
Thank you Mr.Beesley for having the fortitude to become the man
you are today. |
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