Friday, November 11, 2011

Stories of Service - Blog Tour de Troops

“I was in World War II.”

I don’t spend a lot of time on the phone at my day job, but sometimes it does involve some lengthy phone conversations, especially when walking people through our website or our paperwork.

This was a new one. “Really?”

He certainly sounded the right age. “Yep. I was there for the Normandy invasion.”

Goddamn, I thought. My mind immediately filled with images from documentaries, supplimented by my own rather vivid imagination. Which beach? I wanted to ask. What was it like? Did they shoot at you? Were you scared? How on Earth did you find the courage? Of course, my writer’s mind wanted the little details, the parts that make it seem real. How cold was the water? How deep was it where you had to jump in? How long was it before you got dry again? How long before you got a chance to eat? Or were you even hungry?

But I couldn’t ask any of those things. Even if I hadn’t been on the job, what if those memories were painful? Wouldn’t it be rude to ask?

All I could think to do was thank him for his service. Which is nice, I suppose, but seems hollow to me.

That man was much more than “service.” He was a story. A hero story. Even if no one ever shot at him and he never shot at anyone else. He was there. He went and served. And he managed to come home again, when so many others didn’t.

My dad was in Vietnam. When I was little, I was sort of obsessed with the idea that my daddy was a soldier. I was very proud of him. (I still am!) But he never liked to talk about it. I think the longest conversation I’ve ever heard him have about the Army was a few sentences traded with my husband regarding combat boots.

A couple years ago, my dad’s mom gave my nephew a little ivory Buddha. “Your grandpa brought me that from Vietnam,” she told my nephew, who shares my dad’s name.

“I found it in a field we were walking through,” was all Dad said about it.

My mind reels. I want to know. Was he in enemy territory, or friendly? Was the field mined? How hot was it? Was Vietnam as pretty as they say? What did he think when he found the statue? Were there lots of bugs there? Did anyone shoot at him? But I can’t ask. Look up “stoic” in the dictionary, and there’s a picture of my dad. When he doesn’t want to talk about something, he doesn’t talk about it.

But it makes me wonder – what about the vets who do want to talk about it?

I can imagine someone coming home, fresh from the field since we don’t really let the troops decompress first anymore (I agree with Lt. Col. Grossman, there was definitely something to be said for the long voyage home with the rest of your unit), and here’s this poor soldier who wants to work through all this craziness, and everyone at home is like me: too “polite” to ask.

Is it consideration, or cowardice on our parts? We don’t want to be rude. We don’t want to seem morbid or bloodthirsty or insensitive by asking all the questions that we have in our heads. And so we ignore what we feel we can’t talk about.

Everyone’s life is a story. With luck, mine won’t be very interesting. It saddens me to think of so many stories – people whose lives have been cursed (or blessed) with interesting times – going quietly into the long night, untold.

How can we get it right if we don’t ask? How else can we learn?

On Veteran's Day, in addition to saying a big Thank You to our veterans, I hope we can also take a moment to learn a story or two.

I want to welcome everyone who is stopping by today as part of the Blog Tour de Troops! You should be joining me from Brian Jeffreys's blog. The next stop on the tour will be at Dianne Venetta's blog. Please leave a comment – every comment wins a free eBook of Scent and Shadow for you and a soldier! (Make sure to include your email in your comment so I can contact you.)

In addition, we're also collecting donations toward Kindles for our troops! The Memorial Day blog tour raised enough funds for seven Kindles. If you'd like to donate money toward those Kindles for our soldiers, simply use Paypal and ibcprograms@gmail.com as the address to send money to. Please note on your payment that it's a Troops donation.

Huge thank-yous to my review sponsors! Check out the links for reviews of my novel Scent and Shadow:
The Romanceaholic
Alisha Robinson
From Me to You
Diary of a Bibliophile

Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

168 comments:

  1. Thank you for supporting our troops - this is a wonderful cause.

    Gina K.
    rknightspm@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your book looks like a fantastic read & I love the cover.
    Thank you for your generosity and support for our troops!
    tweezle(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful event :)

    miranda_lynn2001(at)live(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, thank you for this wonderful event that is giving to our soldiers!!

    supagurlheather@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. When I was a little girl, I wish I'd have asked my grandfather about WWII but I never did and then we moved away and I hardly ever saw him. He died in 2009 and now I'll never know what happened to him. I feel incredibly sad about that.
    Thank you for offering such support to our troops!
    suzy.turner[at]hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Remembrance Day.

    mrice6@cox.net

    ReplyDelete
  7. Would love to receive a copy. Thank you for the support of our troops.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you to our Troops and our Authors for doing this.

    Stephanie O.
    ladybug07999@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great cause. With a niece and nephew just leaving active service I know how much they appreciate the little bits of home they get no matter who they come from.
    Thanks!

    Don
    djcox@liphoto.net

    ReplyDelete
  10. You and your fellow Indie authors are so very generous. Thank you to all of our service men and women!
    Leslie
    kindle3.user@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great Event - thanks for participating!

    laurenclarkbooks@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for participating in this awesome cause :)

    shroudedheart@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. As a soldier i want to thank you for your support. it is my honor to serve. ryan.mills68(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I enjoyed your post. thank you for participating in this event
    glenn(at)keyaquests(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks to all military members - and thanks to the authors for participating!

    beritlemons AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you troops. we think about what you have done or will do for ourcountry.
    rhonda rlrlaney@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Krissie, please comment again with an email address, 'cause you don't have one listed in your profile either and I don't know where to send the book!

    Thanks everyone for your participation so far!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you so much for your participation!

    AlexandraLanc@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you so much for this wonderful blog tour, this is such a great cause, and I am so looking forward to reading your book! :)

    Marta

    mpa931 (at) yahoo (dot) es

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you so much for thinking of our troops and for sharing your book with them. Our liberty isn't free!

    I would love to have a copy of your ebook. My email address is brjf AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am so thankful for our soldiers, past, present, and future (though hopefully there will be no need for future soldiers).
    rinald47@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for supporting the troops. This is such a great cause. Thanks to all our troops for everything they do!!

    kkellijo@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. You are to be praised for donating your time and talent to such a worthy event! Thank you for the chance to read your book and pass one on to a deserving soldier.

    pam_lash at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. thanks for the giveaway! leia@leiashaw.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for participating in the blog tour and donating books.

    acm05atjuno.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you for supporting the troops! This tour is a wonderful idea!

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thank you for supporting the troops!

    Home of the FREE
    Because of the BRAVE

    books4me67 at ymail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great Cause! Happy to help!

    nicole at sharearead dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thank you so much for what you are doing for our troops you are such a blessing!


    JessEmilyZack@yahoo.com
    (formatted for a kindle)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you for helping to support our troops. As the wife of a current soldier in Afghanistan it means so much to the troops to have support here at home.

    betty.vickery.johnson@gmail.com

    and my loving soldier is

    provert247 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Just dropping by to say Hi! and get a free copy for a soldier. Have fun on the on the tour!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Awesome blog tour for a great cause! Thanks!

    quinnsmythwood(AT)gmail(.)com

    ReplyDelete
  33. My grandfather served in the Nave in WWII, but I never knew anything about it until long after he passed. We found files of information on the ships he served on as well as notes about the damage and fatalities on one that was attacked while he served. I will always regret not knowing more about his life.

    scottpoe (at) hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you for being part of this great journey. I love all the wonderful stories that are being told. There are so many amazing people in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thank you for participating in this great tour that will benefit our servicepeople all over the world.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thank you for giving of yourself by brightening the day of a service member. christygibbon at juno dot com

    ReplyDelete
  37. Thanks to those who have served and thank you for giving some great books to them.

    andreagrendahl AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thank you so much for taking part! This book sounds so good would love to read it thank you so much!
    tishajean@ charter.net

    ReplyDelete
  39. This tour is a fantastic idea!
    Thank you very much.

    artgiote at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thank you so much for helping the troops!

    nook_heartnsole at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  41. My dad used to talk about his service during the Korean conflict, and I wish he could be here to tell his tales to my grandchildren now. I want to thank you for bringing back some warm memories of the times I had with him.

    nancyg5997@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. thank u so much for doing this! I'm glad I can help just by commenting.
    email: cruz042 at csusm dot edu

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thank you so much for being a part of this wonderful effort!! My father is a Vet and lives with my family. God bless you and yours!!!
    Georgeanna
    tdf.gb@bucksmont.net

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thanks for participating in the hop and for your generosity!

    whatbookisthat at gmail dot com

    :D

    ReplyDelete
  45. This is such an amazing thing you are doing. Thank you.

    carrieannryanwrites at gmail . com

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hello,
    My husband is a former Marine and we had a nice lunch at Applebee's today and just enjoyed our time together.
    I'm thankful for him and for all the troops out there still in active duty.
    Thanks for supporting them!!
    Heather
    earthsbooknook at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  47. My father is former Marine who served in Vietnam. The only stories we were ever told growing up were ones about boot camp, or eating raw fish for the first time, or where he was stationed at various times. Tidbits come out every now and again but for the most part he is mum about the experiences of war.
    Thank you for supporting our troops this way!
    The union I'm part of at work is also doing its part. We have donation boxes in various places on campus (one is in my office) and once a month we ship our care packages to the platoon we sponsor.

    Thank you again!

    Saph
    saphsbookblog at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  48. Thank you very much for being part of this worthy event. I would be happy to read your book.

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  49. Thank you to all our troops and the wonderful people who are participating in this blog tour :)

    mels2884 @ yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  50. This is a wonderful cause and I would love to have a copy of your book. Thanks for participating.
    marlene @ readingreality.net

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hello! I am a fellow tour de troops author. i am so glad to be a part of this today. Feel free to come and check my page as well so we give even more books to the troops at the end of the weekend

    ReplyDelete
  52. Thank you for taking part in this great tour. I do struggle too about asking people about potentially bad times in their lives. My grandparents both had bad childhoods growing up; there is an odd sore spot about my father's dead sister; my brother was over in Iraq and Afghanistan for 4 tours, and all situations have the eggshells component. I do find though, that afterawhile, where there is interest, sometimes they will talk a little about it.

    I would also love to read your book.

    melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com

    ReplyDelete
  53. Thank you for supporting our troops.

    shadow31071 (at) suddenlink (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
  54. Thank you for supporting our troops. And thank you in advance for Scent and Shadow.
    cmhswi(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  55. Another author on the tour stopping in. In a lot of ways, I share your desire to know the stories of some people--but the closer they get to me, sometimes it becomes more difficult to ask (I have an envelope tucked away that has a short narrative from my grandfather about his WWII service that I still haven't been able to bring myself to read).

    Here's to a lot of comments, a lot of traffic, and a lot of ebooks for soldiers--men and women who will someday be able to come home and tell their children and grandchildren stories about their service across the globe.

    ~ Erin M. Klitzke
    athensmcleod@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  56. I really enjoyed this blog site and the Veteran's Day tribute. I will be watching this site regularly and look for to reading your work.

    Best regards,
    D. M. Kenyon
    author at lotus blossom book dot com

    ReplyDelete
  57. Happy Rememberance Day and Veteran's day. Great way to support the troops.
    divavixenqueen(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  58. I have to poat anonymous cause google and i are fighting sorry.

    joannie sparks

    Hi thank you for this, it is for a great cause. I am a War Orphan from the vietnam era which took years to find out what happen to my father and to this day him and his group of men never heard from again. It took ten years to declare them legally dead. It was terible growing up i had seven brother and sisters and my mother never remarried or dated. Anything we can do to show our support today for our troops will be just wonderful compared to the way support was given to my mother back then. Thank you for all you do for every man and women that make up our troops today. Jscddmj [at] aol [dot]com. I use the format for kindle on my laptop i don’t have a reader. Thank you so much again

    ReplyDelete
  59. Thanks for the free read - I'm excited to get it! Also, thank you for supporting our troops!

    allyreads81 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  60. Great post.
    I hope many people comment and you get to send out lots of book to the US troops.

    sullivanmcpig(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  61. Your post gave me chills as I read it. It must have been surreal to find that little Buddha statue in that field in the middle of a way. A reminder that before the war people had normal lives, and once it came, chaos, for everyone involved. It's amazing the things we take for granted.

    rivawriter(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  62. Thanks for being a part of this great event! Thanks for supporting our troops and remembering those who serve - past, present, and future! I am excited to get the book, but thrilled that a soldier will also get one! Makes me feel good - thanks for that.
    bevsharp@desch.org

    ReplyDelete
  63. I've already read you book and LOVED it! I wouldn't mind getting an official copy to put on my Nook though. Thank you for participating in the Blog Tour de Troops! Such a great cause.

    ~Jesi

    jesilea(at)charter(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  64. Thank you for supporting out troops this way (and I have to say that I'm going to enjoy it too). My father, husband and brother-in-law have all served or are currently serving and anything that supports our troops is near and dear to my heart.
    Thanks again,
    Andrea
    a_ariail(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  65. Thank you for supporting our troops who are truly all heroes.
    susan.byerly@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  66. I really enjoyed your post - thank you so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  67. So very sad the burden some must carry on behalf of the whole. I thank them from the very bottom of my heart. And thank you for taking part in the tour from this fellow touring author.

    dianne(at)diannevenetta(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  68. From two of my brothers and my new sister in law, thank you for supporting our troops! What an amazing story!

    Michel_Lee_King@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  69. I'm so thrilled this has started. It's always wonderful to recognize those who served out country!

    Karen

    kmoaton@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  70. What a great cause - thanks for supporting our troops! I look forward to reading your book!

    Sandi(at)Beckman(dot)me

    ReplyDelete
  71. Thank you for supporting our troops in such a generous manner! I know that each and every book received will be greatly appreciated! And thank you for allowing me to be a part of it through you!

    iarvd@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  72. Thanks to our troops.

    ainfinger@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  73. My father served as a radarman in a plane that took off from an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific during WWII. The only time he would talk about it was to say how much fun it was when they were on R&R on one of the islands. He was shot down and I know spent some time in a Navy hospital on some island but he wouldn't talk about that or the actual battles. My son has just joined the Navy himself, he chose the Navy in honor of his grandfather.
    Thank you for supporting our troops.
    lvs2dv (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  74. Thanks for being a part of this great event! I learned, a little too late, that you have to ask. The worst that can happen is they tell you they don't want to talk about it. The best, you can listen to someone who really needs to tell their story and just wants someone who is interested. ASK how cold the water was, how hot the desert nights are. Ask the little details, you might make a difference to someone.

    Angi Gray
    ailishification @ gmail . com

    ReplyDelete
  75. What a great way to support our troops! Thanks :-)

    smaccall AT comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  76. My father will not talk about his service at all, like so many veterans.

    Thank you for being a party of this tour. My email is lapidaryprose (at) gmail (dot) com.

    ReplyDelete
  77. I worked many years in assisted living and I have heard many a story from the veterans. And I loved hearing everyone they wanted to share with me. I felt special that they wanted to tell me. Really enjoyed your post.
    Sue B
    katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  78. thanks for supporting the troops and participating in a great event.

    eileen at booksrusonline.com

    ReplyDelete
  79. Thanks for this awesome chance to read your book and for your generosity towards our soldiers! Happy Veteran's Day!

    romancingthedarkside@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  80. Thanks so much and here's to all the soldiers!!!
    Magluvsya03@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  81. Ah man. Now you have ME curious! Great addition to the writings for the event.

    evanbartholomew@gmail.com
    (aha! I HAVE learned from my past mistakes of not putting in my email address :).)

    ReplyDelete
  82. What a wonderful way to show support to those serving or have served. Happy Veteran’s Day.
    My father served in the Korean war.

    Amelia
    rejoicegmj@goldenwest.net

    ReplyDelete
  83. Thanks for sharing about your dad and his stoic ways. I am sorry he can't or won't tell you his tale. It is part of your collective history. I wish you knew the answers to your questions for your sake as much as his.

    Deep Peace,

    Ardee-ann

    sagemoon_cottage@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  84. Thank you for your post. My dad was very similar.
    Traci
    nebbyATzoominternetDOTnet

    ReplyDelete
  85. What an awesome post! I love our soldiers and I thank you for being a part of this awesome tour!

    Christy
    practimom@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  86. Thanks for sharing your book with everyone. It looks like a great read.
    helpersarah2009@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  87. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful event!! Its awesome that you guys are supporting our troops!!
    viajeradelmar@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  88. What a great way to honor and give to the people who serve our country. Thanks for participating.
    nwilson@sportsfive.net

    ReplyDelete
  89. This is a great event for a wonderful cause. A really great way to celebrate this special day.
    tamsyn5@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  90. Thank you for participating in this worthy enterprise.

    I had to chuckle in agreement about the 'not wanting to talk about it'. I have heard several stories about the quirkiest things, but never about the fighting from family members who served from WWII through the Gulf war.

    sophiarose1816@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  91. Thanks so much for being a part of this event. It's a great way to thank our troops.

    readingrat@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  92. Thank you for supporting our Troops!
    t_manfredi@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  93. This is amazing what you guys are doing for the troops! They deserve it!

    ennapenglin(AT)sbcglobal(DOT)net

    ReplyDelete
  94. Thanks so much for the story, for supporting our troops and for the giveaway.

    nissie151530 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  95. Thank you for doing this for our Troops...I look forward to reading your book (Kindle format, pls)

    barbbattaglia@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  96. Thank you so much for being a part of this!!

    brittanyrose40 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  97. Hi,

    Here for the Blog Tour - Thank you to all of the men & women of the armed forces for everything you do and for keeping our country safe!

    Pinky
    pinkmaiden821(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  98. I love what you are all doing sending out books to the troops.

    ticklebear2 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  99. Thanks for being part of this tour, you guys are great! ^^

    ycelestial@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  100. What a wonderful post. Thank you for doing what you can to support our troops and get books into their hands.

    Laurie
    readergirls(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  101. Thanks so much for participating in this. Both my father and stepfather served in Vietnam. Stepdad has always been very open with details. My father never said a word. Until he was diagnosed terminally ill, from effects of Agent Orange. I only learned a few details, since everything was classified at that juncture, but I learned enough to know what a hero he was (and still is in my mind). The memories die with the person and fade with age, so it is ever so important to listen, if anyone will talk.

    Several years ago, my husband and I were on a plane with an elderly man who had a hat on that indicated he was part of the unit that had liberated Dacuau. He struck up conversation with us, and I hesitated to ask, but gave him a gentle opening. The entire four hour flight he told us about his experiences. He said his children couldn't bear to hear. While it was often hard and heartbreaking to hear his story, at the same time I felt honored that he had shared this with us. I often think of this man, who rebuffed being thanked for his service with a wink and a kind word about it being his job.

    Thank you for offering your book. My email address is DiNozzoGibbs @ gmail . com

    ReplyDelete
  102. This is such a wonderful program! I’m so impressed with what you are doing for our service men and women.
    Although I do not have a specific soldier in mind, I would love it if you could donate a book to a soldier from your request list. Also, I’m looking forward to reading your book myself! Thanks so much, and have a great weekend!
    vickikeire (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  103. Thanks for participating with the BTDT. I look forward to reading your book.

    pefrw(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  104. My father was born on veterens day and I lost him 13 years ago so this day has always held twice the meaning for me. I want to thank the troops for their dedication including my cousin Danny and dear friend Yves and also tell my father I love him and miss him dearly. 2vr.iver@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  105. What a wonderful way to support our troops. Thank you.
    musicalfrog at comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  106. Thank you for being part of the tour and supporting the troops!

    Have a great day!
    pauline@pjhandcrafts.com

    ReplyDelete
  107. I used to send care packages via 'Books for Soldiers', and this is an awesome way to continue that effort!

    ReplyDelete
  108. This is a wonderful idea! Thanks for supporting our troops!

    ruby[dot]meek[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  109. I think it is so great that you all are doing this tour for the troops. Thank you so much. carolynvaldez51@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  110. Just wanted to thank all the servicemen and women.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  111. Thanks for being involved in an awesome way to say thank you to our troops.
    I appreciate the chance to read your book and to win a Kindle
    Thanks
    Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  112. I just that this is a great way to show thanks to the troops. I know as a Marine wife that I love it when I see ways to give back to the troops. So thank you!

    klmullins88@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  113. Thank you for participating in this wonderful tour and for the free ebook. I can't wait to read it!

    Laura G.
    cardinoles@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  114. Thank you for the support of our troops!

    Jane

    jborries@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  115. thank you so much for supporting the troops. And thank you for the free book.
    Becca
    rebeccapoindexter @gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  116. Thank you so much for participating in this event and honoring our veterans on their day by giving to our troops a little taste of escapism into a good read.

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  117. My maternal grandfather served in the pacific during WWII & never wanted to talk about it. From what little he did say, it is obvious he watched a lot of his friends die. Two of his brothers also served in the armed forces during WWII & one didn't make it home. Thanks for being part of this tour for our troops.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  118. I'm so glad there's another Tour de Troops!! Can't wait to see if there's more comments than Memorial Day! What a great way to give our troops a little escape in a book while they are away from home and at war. Thanks IndieBookCollective!!
    Melissa

    missyebookmail (AT) mediacombb (DOT) net

    ReplyDelete
  119. My grandfather was in the Navy, so my love goes deep for the military. Thanks for your participation in the event!

    nurse6030@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  120. Thanks for being part of this tour and I hope your book makes somebody’s day better :)

    hellenlovesbooks (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  121. Thank you for our troops, and thank you for being a part of this. It is such an amazing thing that all you authors are doing! I cannot wait to read a copy of your book.

    meghan.guarnieri@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  122. Thank you for supporting our troops. I'm sure they'll enjoy the books.

    stefscat@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  123. Thank you for participating in this Blog Tour de Troops. And thanks to the troops for doing what they do.
    And thanks for your book (in anticipation).

    Janey
    jandhj2 (AT) yahoo (DOT) ca

    ReplyDelete
  124. Your books looks amazing and you should be proud of your involvement in this giveaway!!!

    ~Brandy
    brandyzbooks at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  125. Thank you for the fabulous event. Supporting the troops is a great tribute.

    ML
    mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  126. Thank for participating in this event. I hope it's a huge success.

    merikat1948 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  127. can you imagine the number of stories not told because of the grief and horror of remembering?
    larriane@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  128. Thank you for supporting our troops! Thank you to all Veteran's and those still serving today!

    miranda.grissomATgmailDOTcom

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  129. My Uncle was stationed in Germany, my Son-in-law Jeff stationed in Camp Victory in Bagdad and my vet Dr.Kate Williams is stationed at Afganistan.
    Her e-mail is drkatewilliams@aol.com and my e-mail is tammi.hagberg@sbcglobal.net
    Thank you for the support of our troops!

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  130. Mercy,

    Thank you enough for caring about our troops. It's nice to seem them appreciated by you and the other authors.

    I think what you all are doing is great. You all will be blessed for this.

    Teresa K.
    tcwgrlup41(at)yahoo dot com

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  131. Your welcome for the review!! Thanks for the link!

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  132. Happy to support a good cause.

    jeryl.marcus@gmail.com

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  133. Thank you so much for sharing and being a part of this tour. I would absolutely LOVE a copy of your book!!

    thebookishsnob(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  134. Thank you for supporting our troops. Please donate my copy to a service member.

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  135. Thanks for making this such a great event and for your generosity!
    MJB
    msmjb65 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  136. My grandfather served actively in WWII and Korea. I never got to talk to him about his experiences in the war since I was too young to understand. Then when I would have appreciated it Alzheimers hit. I heard a few bits and pieces at that time but never a full story. I wish I could turn back time and have a tape recorder.
    Thanks for supporting our troops this way. I am sure a soldier would love a good book to escape to while they are away from their families protecting out freedom.
    Thanks again
    Linda Meza

    linmeza@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  137. Thank you for being part of this. It has been a great event to be involved with.

    Lindsey
    soccerma3@gmail.com
    http://rroftorturedselectsoccerma.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  138. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  139. Thanks for participating and sharing your work with our soldiers overseas! kimberly.kinrade@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  140. Your book looks tantalizing azstyln602@aol.com

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  141. This is so cool! I'm looking forward to reading your book.
    diamondskye20@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  142. Thank you so much for participating in this, as an air force veteran I can really appreciate it.

    shayne
    milldirt@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  143. Thank you for supporting our troops with books.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  144. As usual, I am late to the party, but thank you for your generosity! I am looking forward to reading your book!

    kisstheday @ hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  145. Thanks for your support of the troops. They are great and really deserve this!
    egstanley(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  146. Thanks for your support of the troops. They are great and really deserve this!
    egstanley(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  147. Thank you for both the book and the chance to show my support to our troops.
    elfinfaerie(at)msn(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  148. Thanks so much for being a part of such a great event! My dad and hubby are Marine Corps Veterans.

    I look forward to reading your book.

    Semper Fi!

    kathleen_howard2003@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  149. This is such a great thing. Thanks!

    Sue
    s.sue38@yahoo.com

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  150. My Dad was in Vietnam too & Uncle Bubber was there when they stormed the beach @ Normandy. He had several medals, including a Purple Heart. Neither of them will or would talk about it. Lately I've noticed Daddy has started to. I've heard about the monkey he adopted that his Lt. shot when it bit off his ear & a few other things. My brother sometimes talks a bit about his time in Iraq. He recently retired from the AF EOD. I knew whenever we were lucky enough to get to talk on the phone, every time those sirens went off & others were running away, he'd be hanging up to run to it rather than away. I'm so grateful they made it home..
    Thanks for your generosity in this...
    ivydtruitt (at) gmail (dot) com

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  151. Thanks for taking part in the good cause. I'm sure the troops will appreciate it
    Carla63@windstream.net

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  152. thanks for doing this - as a recently retired army vet, I spent more than a few hours during my last tour in Afghanistan appreciating eBooks.

    Holly (prosekniticATyahooDOTde

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  153. Thanks for all you authors do to support the troops. Your work is fantastic.
    joanwigg@gmail.com

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  154. For me I think that it's more toward being a coward. I'm not sure I want to know what happened. I hear so many sad stories that I wouldn't want to make them relive it (when I'm mostly sure that they still might be reliving it on the inside) and I'm not sure how I'd react to what they've seen or been through.
    jessangil at gmail dot com
    -Jessica B

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  155. So happy to participate in this wonderful blog tour. Thank you!

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  156. I'd love a copy, thanks! :) etitameh(at)q(dot)com

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  157. This is such a wonderful way to support our troops! Thank you :)

    Dani
    mdavis24@ec.rr.com

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  158. Such a wonderful way to let our troops know how much we respect and appreciate them!
    Thank you for doing this!

    Dani
    mdavis24@ec.rr.com

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  159. My dad was a WWII vet and landed at Omaha Beach on D-day. He didn't live quite long enough to go on one of the Honor Tours and he didn't talk about the war but he looked very dashing in the pictures. : )
    Thanks for the book and thanks for supporting our troops
    OmahaUrbanec AT aol Dot com

    Oh, and in answer to the next blog post down, I have a Kindle 3 which I love. My first Kindle got forwarded to a cousin that has poor eyesight due to diabetes & she loves my old one as much as I did.

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  160. Thank you so much for supporting our troops and for participating in this blog tour.

    thenarcissuslibrary at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  161. Thank you for participating in this wonderful project, and thank you to our veterans for their service!

    lindaspencer@mac.com

    ReplyDelete
  162. Thank you Mercy for participating in the blog tour. What a great way to show support for our troops.

    ackleybj {at} verizon {dot} net

    ReplyDelete
  163. Thanks for supporting the troops.

    Marty
    puccagirl73@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  164. Thank you for supporting our troops like this!

    carmenbartATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  165. Thanks so much for participating in this blog tour and supporting our men and women in the service! you guys rock for this.

    babydoll82959307(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  166. Thank you for supporting our troops.

    flanagan@mebtel.net

    ReplyDelete
  167. Hi,

    Sorry to bother you, but I didn't receive my coupon code for your book "Scent and Shadow". Thank you again for being part of the tour, it was fabulous!

    Pinky
    pinkmaiden821(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete