Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Veteran Stories

Can You Climb A Mountain?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a bit of a weird Spring here in the good old USA and in other parts of the world. Seems the wackier it gets out there, the more I retreat to my books and happy ending tv shows. Then I come across a story that puts my perspective firmly in place.

These veterans accomplished an amazing feat in February and I wanted to share it. Through grit and determination, they climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. That may sound like a bit of a task, but these military foot soldiers are missing body parts which would make the climb a challenge even if they had all their digits.

Even the “normie” cameraman had a hard go of it and he had all his appendages. The documentary should be out the end of this year, you can catch up with this group at

www.kilimanjarowarriors.com

When it comes to being WIA, wounded in action, the hard road begins afterwards. The long hours and months it takes to not only get physically well, but to also deal with the mental and emotional scars. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have left us with many wounded warriors, each one an important story.

These are the kind of tales which make me write about my fellow veterans and talk about the day-to-day courage of veterans that most folks never see. It seems veterans and especially wounded warriors have been climbing this mountain for years now. Go grunts!

I salute these hard-charging men and women who are still fighting, for themselves and others who can’t make the trip. Take a look. Freedom isn’t free and these veterans are the best of the best.

KILIMANJARO WARRIORS: Teaser Trailer 1 from Bevan B. Bell on Vimeo.

A Legacy of Love and Laughter

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by Kimberly A. Cook                        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Unexpected events caused me to take a blog break last month. While I am dedicated to make my two posts a week, other things are more important. After a lovely Thanksgiving Day with family, my Dad went into the emergency room the next afternoon and he passed on Dec. 8.

This is my favorite Army Air Corps photo of my Dad. I think he looks like Elvis!
This is my favorite Army Air Corps photo of my Dad. I think he looks like Elvis!

It was an intense time for my family and about mid-week I remembered the blog.  I made a quick post and hoped all would understand later. My close friends knew and they left some nice comments of support. It was the hardest and most amazing thing I have ever done, being with my Dad those ten days.

Grief and letting go is a process and my family is moving through it; my mother, sister and brother-in-law, plus nieces all doing what we need to do. My Dad was a great guy. He loved to laugh and take care of “his girls.” We have many wonderful memories. He was also a terrific storyteller.

Dad left me a couple of projects to finish. I interviewed him on cassette tape in 1999 about his days on the railroad, he started in 1942 and retired in 1981, steam engines to diesel. Those tapes and transcripts are gold to me now. He also wrote down his own Army Air Corps military stories from World War II for me in 2005. I have those to research and write-up. I also have a ton of photos, since I think I became the family paparazzi.

So a few words for my blog readers. Ask about family stories, audio record and film your relatives. Don’t wait. Do it now.  It brings me great comfort to know I still have projects I can do with my Dad. Make sure you can do the same.

What Do We Do When Our Dream Sails Away?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

I’m one of those personality types who need closure, tidy endings, aka a wrap-up. Not that I have control issues – much, but according to my Myers-Briggs INFJ category, leaving possibilities open for eons raises my blood pressure. With that in mind, I am blowing my own cover and saying goodbye to a volunteer project I worked long and very hard on, the USS Ranger Foundation.

Long story short, we tried to bring  a retired USS Navy aircraft carrier 125 miles upriver from the Pacific Ocean to her new life as a Museum, Memorial, Education Center, Tourism and Special Events and Emergency Preparedness site. In 2005 I attended a Foundation board meeting with a marketing plan draft and got thrown on the Board of Directors. Literally. Figured they needed some Army blood amongst all those retired sailors and pilots, I guess.

Worked my tail off on the project until work and family needs made me step back in 2008, but I maintained the Foundation’s phone line. Fast forward to July 2010 when I needed to turn the phone line over to the Foundation’s Development Director. Shannon Chisom and I bonded, especially when she finally met the person who everybody would tell her, “Oh, Kim used to do that.”

It was an exciting time with the Foundation since a potential site had finally been secured in Fairview, Oregon. I volunteered to set up Twitter and the YouTube Channel for the Foundation, since I figured I could manage that with the day job, writing and family. The first day I met Shannon I went from posting two Spec Ops Cat videos on YouTube to interviewing the mayor of Fairview. Ha! Mission creep struck and soon I was the Online Media Manager and handling the Foundation’s Facebook page, Twitter, Zazzle store, Pinterest, posting to the Main Web Page, and producing 25 YouTube videos, in addition to a thousand other things.

In the end, our dream was not to be. We came close, very close. Throwing grenades and horseshoes close. With amazing support from the City of Fairview staff and citizens, plus all of East County, government entities and our elected representatives, we damn near did it. U.S. Navy budget constraints and time did us in. USS Ranger was to be bid out for scrap as a package with her de-commissioned sister carriers sitting in Bremerton, Washington and the Navy couldn’t wait any longer. With more aircraft carriers coming off active duty, they needed moorages. We got that word directly from the Secretary of the Navy’s Office.

When the news came last winter, the Foundation still worked behind the scenes hoping for a Hail Mary. Didn’t work. We never had a “final meeting” for our Team Ranger Staff and volunteers. We closed the Foundation office and put items in storage. It took several months for the Board of Directors to decide what to say on the web site. Recently I closed the Twitter and YouTube accounts, Zazzle is next.

It broke my heart to lose USS Ranger. She is a historic aircraft supercarrier whose like will never be built again; Navy ship building needs have changed. She was a decorated Vietnam War and Desert Storm veteran plus a movie star in “Top Gun” and several other films.

My greatest regret is she did not get to live on in retirement to serve again honoring the men who sailed on her, those who flew off her and never returned and those who died on her decks. In her new role, Ranger would have been a memorial to all women and men who served in all branches of the Armed Forces, active, reserve and guard.

So I want to thank all the Ranger veterans, all our veteran helpers, Team Ranger staff, volunteers and citizens who worked hard and fought to save the great Gray Lady. We didn’t give up the ship, but we lost her anyway. I had the honor and pleasure to go aboard Ranger in 2005 and 2012. Since I want to make sure we keep a part of her legacy alive, I posted her final YouTube video I made on Spec Ops Cat’s channel for all who want to see it again.

The video also shows what you can do with a still camera, a Flip video recorder, some paid music, creativity and some practice. You can almost move an aircraft supercarrier. We had a dream and we went after it big time. Will I miss USS Ranger and the vision we had for her? More than you will ever know. Will I give up dreaming big? Never!

My favorite photo I took of the great Gray Lady, USS Ranger, in January 2012. She is truly the "Top Gun of the Pacific."
My favorite photo I took of the great Gray Lady, USS Ranger, in January 2012. She is truly the “Top Gun of the Pacific.”

Taking Time To Remember Those Who Gave All

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We head into the Memorial Day weekend, a time for remembering those who gave the greatest sacrifice so our nation remained free. With respect for the families and friends who have lost so much, please take time to remember our fallen warriors this weekend. Freedom isn’t free.

Adapting Skills for Writers, Veterans And Rhinos

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by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

When I left the Army I joked I could work for Barnum & Bailey Circus or Mayflower Moving and Storage; supply and logistics training comes in very handy after the military. While we writers are constantly adapting to changes in the publishing world and upgrades in technology, basic skills and training help us to shift our careers and stay relevant in the marketplace.

The same could be said for the military skills of many veterans today. On Thursday night the Animal Planet will start a three-part mini-series about former military members called in to help stop poachers from decimating the White Rhinos in Africa. Once again, adapting.

Watch the video preview here: http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/battleground-rhino-wars/videos/rhino-wars-taking-down-the-bad-guys.htm

I’ve always thought military veterans would make the perfect animal rescue teams specially trained by Humane Societies to work here in the United States and around the world during disasters and wartime situations. The challenges the troops faced fighting in Iraq and coming across the Baghdad Zoo, with some animals caged and some loose, comes to mind.

I wanted to spread the word about this program which I support on many levels; our veterans working after their service working to help save the world’s Rhinos. As animal guardians of the planet, not only must we protect, witness and record animal’s stories, we must make sure the Rhino’s story does not end forever.

If you have time, check out the show Thursday night at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet. For more information about the series go to  http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/battleground-rhino-wars

The Power Of Curiosity And Chicken Teriyaki

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We writers never know what story might touch a person or their family. Being interested and curious about people lets us hear all kinds of great and exciting stories, collecting adventures like pirates of old. A recent event reminded me of this treasure trove we take for granted every day.

Ron's Chicken Teriyaki - the best on the planet!
Ron’s Chicken Teriyaki – the best on the planet!

While visiting the Oregon Shakespearean Festival in Ashland in September 2011, my friend Carol and I hot-footed it over to our favorite restaurant, The Red Hibiscus, for the fabulous chicken teriyaki. We met the chef, owner and veteran Ron Yamaoka and had a great visit. I took pictures and Ron even gave me his recipe!

Read the blog post here. https://kimberlyacook.com/2011/10/25/a-chefs-hawaiian-tale-in-ashland/

This past January I got an email from Ron’s daughter. She told me Ron had passed away in January and a friend sent her my blog post. She had never seen the original post and was surprised and wanted to thank me for the article. I sent her my condolences. I told her I had more photos from that day and asked if she would like to have them. She quickly replied yes.

Sent them off this weekend and got a quick note back from her. The family is preparing for his March service in California and she is collecting photos. She really liked the other pictures of her Dad and the restaurant, even the food. It was a pleasure to send them on to the family.

Ron’s final resting place will eventually be at the Punchbowl National Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii. I told her I would stop by and say hi to him on my next visit. We go about our writer days finding out about people and having them graciously share their lives with us. What seems an everyday writing occurence to us can impact a loved one or friend much later.

Never forget the power of people and their stories. We are all touched by the smallest ripples in the universe. Keep exploring, writing and collecting stories; they are the tales of our lives.