Our American Heroes: The Stories behind the Fight for Freedom and Democracy This book is not about the author. This book is not about the battle. This book is about military members who are now veterans. Their memories are about some of the most legendary battles as well as their own private struggles. The recollections of these veterans cover an array of experiences around the world-one of the first female pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps; a survivor of the Bataan Death March; POWs from WWII and Korea; an Ohio National Guardsman at Kent State; survivors, fighters, and patriots from Pearl Harbor, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Their families share their heroic stories of service to the world's freedom, as well as their frustration and disappointment with the VA bureaucracy or lack of information-sharing practices about their entitled benefits. The efforts of caregivers in enabling their veterans to have the best quality of life possible-spouses, mothers, children, guardians/fiduciaries, healthcare professionals, and the grandmother who had both her son and granddaughter deployed-speak volumes of their commitment and unconditional sacrifices. This collection of their stories is the author's continued privilege of serving the veterans who have enabled this great nation to stand guard in the world and assure the right to be free. Read on with respect and compassion.
About the Author: Miguel Reece is a military veteran with more than thirty years of service in the United States Air Force, both as an enlisted member and an officer, with an additional ten years with the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office. He enlisted into the U.S. Air Force in February 1969. Miguel earned two Associate of Science degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Education, and Master's of Arts degree, which opened several important doors with great challenges and opportunities in his life. Miguel served in Vietnam and went on to support Desert Storm, was an Administrator on the State Department-Sponsored Humanitarian and Civic Action Mission to Jordan, was the Support Commander of the Field Integration of the Air Transportable Hospital deployed to Cairo, Egypt, in "Bright Star," and served on the Stabilization Team, with the Expeditionary Medical Forces, in the Balkans. These experiences have provided Miguel with a holistic regard for the honor and veneration which the veterans of the United States Armed Forces and families merit. Retirement posed new challenges for Miguel, after thirty years in the United States Air Force, having lived in or visited twenty-nine countries in the world. After eighteen months of playing golf and visiting friends around the world, he continued to wait on the rating decision for the service-connected disabilities he had applied for prior to his retirement. The AMVETS veterans service representative who had been assisting Miguel with his claim suggested that Miguel apply for employment with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Making a difference is Miguel's aspiration and working for the VA would be a perfect fit. It truly saddened Miguel the day he announced his retirement for medical reasons. Miguel had unconditional love for his job, being a public servant and making a difference in the lives of the beneficiaries, the privilege of serving the veterans, and working in more than half of the counties in the state of Florida. He visited veterans and/or their families where they lived-under bridges, in a tree house, in parks, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and fabulous homes-everywhere Miguel believes it is their right to be treated with dignity and class. At the constant urging of the veteran community to share these treasured memories, Miguel believed it would be a great disservice to society to keep them to himself. The veterans and their families have found a voice in this book.