Sometimes great opportunities or experiences are presented to you when you least expect them, and this happened to me Saturday, February 9, 2024.  I was invited to attend the George Washington Birthday, Annual Dinner of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 423. That itself, is rare honor, but in addition, the Commander of the chapter wanted me to speak to the group and also sign copies that he purchased, of my thriller, Blue Shadows for all the Purple Heart Members, and I was now, doubly honored.

Now, some of you may wonder, what is the Purple Heart?  The Purple Heart medal is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military.  A Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves, or paid the ultimate price, while in the line of duty.

I must admit, when I arrived in the building, I was somewhat anxious about being in the company of such amazing veterans who sacrificed for our country and were wounded in action, and yet, I felt that I didn’t quite measure up to this sacrifice by the courageous men and women that I was about to meet.  I did serve, that is true, as I mentioned before, but never served overseas in combat as these amazing veterans did.

So, I said to the Commander, after I walked in, something like, “It is such an honor for me to be in the company of such amazing American heroes.”  But he quickly corrected me, and said that these men and women do not like to be called heroes, so please don’t call them that.  He said, “You see Carson, they believe the real heroes are the ones that never came home.”  Because of his advice, I avoided using the “H” word in that auditorium.  I understand now.

The name of this Commander is Dr. David “Doc” Andrews. He also owns the moniker:  Commando Dave. But more on that at a later time.  This man has served our country in the military in multiple ways, serving in multiple capacities in dangerous situations, and he was also wounded seriously in combat while serving our country.  Now retired, he still serves his fellow veterans in the MOPH, but also by lecturing throughout the United States, helping fellow veterans with PTSD become armed with the tools that he learned to cope with this burden.  And I know it can’t be easy for him to do it, but as I told him, he is a giver, and that is simply what he does. His company is called Purple Heart Consulting, www.purpleheartconsulting.com.

Dave is the man who graciously invited me to attend this annual George Washington Dinner and to sign books for the members, because he apparently understood it was a book they may understand and enjoy.  But also, I have a hunch that after some of our discussions, he somehow felt I would enjoy this invitation immensely just being there.

He was spot on.

I met a lot of amazing veterans that day. The oldest member was 92, and he served in the Korean conflict and Vietnam, and there were multiple Vietnam Vets as well. Many served in recent conflicts in Afghanistan and in the Horn of Africa and other places.  I heard some amazing stories, and I am in awe of the courage and sacrifice of these veterans, after hearing about their harrowing experiences.

I want to mention the photo of the flag that is on this blog, just to the left of the lectern.  It was brought to my attention, that this flag has only 48 stars, and was apparently taken from a U.S. Navy ship, whose name may be the San Diego, back in 1944. I learned quite a few things in those precious few hours.  Doc Dave told the audience that it was George Washington who was the one who started the Purple Heart program back in 1782, and that General Douglas MacArthur was the first to receive the medal because he in fact, awarded it to himself!

As my readers can probably tell, this MOPH dinner influenced me greatly and it was an honor to be invited, and a greater honor to meet such amazing Veterans.

© 2024 SRCarson Publications