Showing results by author "Gary P. Hansen" in All Categories

Many veterans of war, upon their return home, choose to never speak about their time serving in the military, hoping to put it behind them and forget. But some veterans don’t hesitate to share their stories and experiences with anyone who will listen. Whether talking about it is their way of coping with what they witnessed and endured, an effort to pass on to the next generation a small slice of history, or an attempt to preserve the memories for themselves, doesn’t really matter.

Susan, a 24 year old widow and single mother, was facing a big financial problem. She had been on her own since her husband lost his life five years ago, only months after her father died. Susan had spent her whole life in the Canadian bush but the local saw mill had closed. The saw mill's closing caused the local school to close for lack of students. That meant Susan would lose custody of her daughter Lilly if they didn't move to somewhere Lilly could attend school.

A corporate jet, or even her own private jet, would have been within easy reach for her. However, Sally McPhearson always flew commercial; it was sort of her trademark. When she boarded the small commuter plane that day to travel to a business meeting in Toronto, she had no idea that her life was about to abruptly change. Sally was about to depart on a journey that would result in months full of pain, suffering, hunger, desperation, and fear. She certainly would have not been able to comprehend that the experiences she was about to endure would forever change her life for the better.