A charity anthology I am part of to benefit veterans groups has been officially released...it includes a poem I wrote a few years back about a veteran with PTSD called "An Enemy That Haunts My Mind"...so far it is only published in this book that just came out, and my own book that came out in 2012...

The poems and stories included in this anthology, written by various authors, tell of veterans outside of war, of how their sacrifice of service changed their lives long after the war was over. Although some of the messages of the sacrifices of war are sadly timeless, they speak of unsung heroes, and I say unsung because nothing we could ever do for them would ever be enough to say thank you for all they gave. With that said, with these poems and stories, we will give what we can. 100% of the profits made will go to charities for veterans. To all who have served and to all of those who love them, we offer our undying gratitude because it is all we truly have to give you for your sacrifices, told and untold. So, we give what we can to honor you, to say thank you, and to, in some small way, give back. Although it could never be enough, a million thanks or a million dollars, we pray we can help some of the many who have given so much, so selflessly, and then suffered even as they fought another battle, the battle to go on…

Here is a blog about the book created by Kiki Howell, who put the project together. A different charity will benefit each month, starting with The Wounded Warrior Project. This blog site includes links to purchase the book, and note that it is a couple of bucks cheaper at B&N than Amazon, as well as links to purchase shirts and other cool items...

We Go On: Charity Anthology for Veterans
http://wegoonanthology.blogspot.com/

http://upload.storiesspace.com/117378929-We%20Go%20On.jpg

Here's one of the shirts Kiki created btw...and again, all proceeds will go to benefit veteran's groups...

http://upload.storiesspace.com/665436902-We%20Go%20On%20(Shirt%20Front).jpg

And here is the poem btw...

An Enemy That Haunts My Mind...

In the middle of the night I lie in bed,
Fighting an enemy that’s in my head.
An enemy that’s always there,
An enemy that won’t play fair.
An enemy that haunts my mind,
An enemy that is not kind.
The price paid for doing good,
Of doing like I’m told I should.
Serving my country in time of war,
Who could ever ask for more?
And now even in my deepest dreams,
All I hear is the sound of screams.
Why was I the one to survive?
Why was I the one left alive?
I ask myself every night,
As I relive every fight.
God, please call me home,
Don’t leave me here all alone.
For when I thought the fight was won,
I’m finding the battle’s just begun.
A soldier who was trained to kill,
Finds a battle that’s harder still.
Fighting an enemy I cannot see,
And finding out the enemy is me.
An enemy that haunts my mind,
An enemy that is not kind.

07-11-11.

The poem apparently fit the submission call well, being about a veteran with PTSD...

Theme/Plot for Fictional Stories and Poetry: A story about a veteran several years out from the war still dealing with war-related issues like PTSD or disabilities, etc but they do not have to be that severe either.

Here's more about the original submission call, if anyone's interested...

Paid Call for Submission: We Go On - A Veteran’s Anthology for Charity
http://anauthorsmusings.blogspot.com/2014/11/paid-call-for-submission-we-go-on.html

That's all for now, and remember proceeds from the anthology will be supporting a different veteran's group each month...

Cheers,
Alan.
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