America's Finest
by
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How do you say goodbye to your child?
Carl, the son of Dimitri and Sarah
Dobinsky, was a joy to his parents,
relatives and friends for nineteen
years. He was said to be a happy,
cheerful baby whose smile would
light up the room. On his first day
of kindergarten, Carl stood up for a
boy he didn't know who was being
bullied. When asked by the Principal
why he did it, Carl responded:
"Because it was the right thing to do!
Isn't Josh a person too with rights?
Just because he can't talk like me or
you, why should somebody pick on
him like that?"
Eleven years later as a high school
sophmore, Carl pulled a family of
three out of an overturned car on a
lonely Oklahoma rural highway. Then
he applied first aid to the injured father.
According to the physician who
performed the operation: "If Carl didn't
take the action he did, the father would
have died leaving a wife and a
daughter to grieve their loss." When
the family came to thank Carl for his
bravery, he responded: "Ain't nothin'
It was the right thing to do."
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About the Book
The more than sixty short stories that make up "America's Finest" details the humanitarian service as well as the personal sacrifices of the men and women of each of the branches of the United States Armed Services in Iraq. United States service members provided Iraqi citizens health care services, formal education, public works and many other services too numerous to describe. Though the United States Armed Services are trained in the art of war, more than 70% of its activities, even during the period of armed conflict, was dedicated to non-combative work for and on behalf of the Iraqi people .
within days following combat action, American service members began initiating public service work toward re-building the infrastructure and personal lives of individual Iraqis in a spirit of compassion, mercy and forgiveness towards those who had been enemies only hours before. Airmen/women, Marines, Sailors and Soldiers gave thousands of manhours each week in their attempt to make life better for the Iraqi people. A number of these service members gave the citizens of Iraq the greatest gift any person could render--their lives.
Privates, junior enlisted non-commissioned officers and junior company grade officers most between the age 18 and 24 years of age make up the majority of the figures in these stories. These brave, resourceful young men and young women are the REAL heroes and heroines. From rural communities, suburbs and inner cities; rich, middle class and poor; every racial and ethnic group make up the United States armed services. As an all volunteer force, there is no compulsion to serve. Yet each do so willingly for freedom and liberty for all. They are indeed "America's Finest" and patriots all!
About the Author
Stephen Peterson was retired in April, 2007 after nearly 37 years of United States Army and Army Reserver service. A graduate of the Indiana University--Bloomington Army ROTC ("the Screaming Bison") and a member of Pershing Rifles, he served in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Bosnia and in the Iraq Wars. A member of the Seminole Nation of Indians, he currently works as a counseling psychologist in the Oklahoma City area. He is the author of a number of books, scholarly articles and paper, and short stories in Christian Living, Adolescent Psychology, Military History, and Death and Dying issues. He is also a regular contributor to "Looking Up Magazine" and other print and online magazines worldwide