Greetings, Inspy Romance readers. Today I want to talk about one of the inspirations behind my romance novel heroes: military veterans.
Disabled vet on a mission to protect a woman who doesn’t want to be protected!
I’d always heard romance writers say that men in uniform make great romance heroes, but I grew up in the Vietnam era when those serving in the armed forces didn’t get the positive attention they get today. And as a peace-loving scholar, I didn’t meet a whole lot of veterans. So my early romance novels didn’t tend to feature heroes who had served their countries.
That all changed when I started dating a veteran who was extremely passionate about the USA and about helping other veterans. Through him, I got to know a number of veterans and became aware of what heroes many veterans are in real life. Some of the activities I did with my friend:
- Attended meetings of the local 82nd Airbourne chapter
- Watched a funeral service involving a final veteran salute and an armed guard to protect attendees
- Met a WWII vet who ended up serving as the inspiration for an ongoing character in my Rescue River series, the librarian of the Senior Towers
- Raised a glass with the guys at the local American Legion (okay, did that more than once!)
Run as One 5K
- Watched the dedication of a memorial sidewalk at Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Pittsburgh
- Ran in the “Run as One” 5K to raise awareness about the high rate of suicide among veterans
Getting to know some of these fine men and women whose courage and spirit shines bright has been a wonderful inspiration. What could be more romantic than a hero who’s sacrificed for others, is protective, and has great military muscles?? I’ve included veterans in several recent novels, including His Secret Child, A Bond of Vengeance, and A Brother’s Bond. And just between us, I have an idea for a new series in which veterans play a major role. More on that in a few months.
Me with two of my favorite vets
The course of true love never did run smooth, as William Shakespeare reminds us, and my veteran friend and I have parted ways. But I will always be grateful for the insight he offered into the lives of America’s veterans, and for the way that insight has enriched my writing.
Do you like reading books with military heroes? How about movies? Any favorites to share?
And hey–if you’d like a free short story with a heroic veteran at the center of it, visit my website and sign up for the newsletter. You’ll get access to “Before the Bond” as well as updates on the new series as they become available.
Lee Tobin McClain read Gone With The Wind in the third grade and has been an incurable romantic ever since. Lee is the author of the Sacred Bond series of contemporary inspirational romances and also writes the Rescue River books (angsty, but full of fun kids and dogs) for Harlequin Love Inspired. When she not writing emotional Christian romances, she's probably driving around a carload of snarky teen girls, playing with her rescue dog and cat, or teaching aspiring writers in Seton Hill University's MFA program. She is probably not cleaning her house.
It’s sad that our veterans don’t get the support they deserve here in the US. I think it’s great you attended activities with your friend in order to write a stronger story, Lee. My favorite war hero movie would have to be Saving Private Ryan.
Thanks, Jill! That’s a great movie.
I am amazed at the bravery and courage of our veterans. Our family has numerous family members who have served our country. Some of those folks share stories and others keep their thoughts about their time in the military to themselves. Our family thanks all who serve our country now and in the past and in the future.
I appreciate people who appreciate vets. I’m looking forward to your new series. My husband is a Vietnam vet. I didn’t know him at the time he was in Vietnam. When we were married I could see how the experience affected him. Thankfully by God’s grace he didn’t have major problems. God is good to us.
Hi Melissa! I know what you mean about some vets sharing and others keeping quiet. Seems like the WWI, Korea, and Vietnam vets are more reserved about their experiences. Very grateful for your family’s sacrifices.
I just watched a short documentary about some Vietnam vets with PTSD. Many were affected by horrible things they went through–I’m glad your husband got through without lingering problems. If you haven’t already, check out my website and newsletter (http://www.leetobinmcclain.com) for updates on the new series.
Love stories about military men.There is something about a man in uniform,the ultimate hero.
I don’t have any favorite military heroes in book or film.
I have a story written by my father about my grandmother praying for her sons in WWII.
She spent a good part of the war on her knees because of her 7 sons,4 served plus a son in law.
She was a heroine with 5 heros.
My father-in-law is a WWII vet. A few years ago he and his company were given the highest civilian honor award. The Congressional Gold Medal. He is Japanese and was in the 442 unit that is the most decorated unit of the army. He fought in Italy and France. These soldiers did this even when many of their own family members were living in internment camps put there by our own government. We are very honored and proud of what he did. As for my favorite movie it would be Forrest Gump.
Yes, I enjoy military heroes. As far as a movies go, I have no idea. I don’t watch a lot of movies and when I do they are chick-flicks.
You and I have a similar theme with our posts this week. I promise I had no idea this is what you were talking about, so please don’t think I copied when you see my post later in the week. :)
Aw, that’s beautiful, Linda! I think I need to have a mother like that in one of my stories! Would ask your permission first, of course.
Oh my gosh, Marylin, you’ve got to read my June book from Love Inspired! It’s got a half-Japanese heroine, and when she’s talking with some WWII vets, they bring up the 442nd–one of her grandfathers served in it. From my research I know how incredibly brave those men were in the face of a lot of prejudice and misunderstanding.
Ha, Kimberly, great minds think alike! Maybe we should do some cross-promotion if we’re doing something similar in our books… I know our take on any subject would be uniquely our own.
I enjoy stories with military men and women, too. I’d actually like to see some stories that feature more military women.
My post is about heroes in general. :)
I have the utmost respect for our men and women in uniform who’ve proudly served our country in wartime and at any time. So much so that I wrote about military men (U.S. Army in Perchance to Dream and USAF in Prelude, set in 1962). My eyes get misty and I get a catch in my throat whenever the U.S. flag is raised and we salute these individuals. I’m glad to see you and others writing about them and the personal opportunities you’ve had to participate in events is wonderful. Thanks for your enlightening and wonderful post! Blessings.
All men and women who serve in the military and for their country are heroes.
My memories about Vietnam are: 1. Sitting in a dorm watching TV while draft birthdays were drawn and hearing the gut wrenching scream of the young college student whose birthday was #ONE. He knew he would be in Vietnam before the year was out. There was no way out. So unfair. My husband to be missed being drafted by two numbers.
2. One guy, who in my senior year I daily eat lunch with was killed two months before the war was over.
3. A friend of our passed away early because of the side effects of agent orange – cancer and other ailments.
Not a fan of military heroes in romance novels or movies. To much heartache in the world, without being reminded in escape reading. When dealing with difficult issues, I prefer to read non-fiction. A well written book on Vietnam is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. “Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak… They carried their own lives… They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing…”
Oh, well, you can’t have too many heroes! :)
You should write one, Merrillee!
Renate, it makes sense that military fiction doesn’t feel escapist to you, given your experiences. And you are the third person to recommend THE THINGS THEY CARRIED to me. It’s rising to the top of my TBR list.
Thanks, JoAnn! How weird that 1962 now qualifies as historical fiction (I know that because a member of my writers’ group is doing sixties books, and they’re in that category. Now that I know the setting and theme, I can’t wait to read PRELUDE!
My husband is a veteran of the Korean War and we are both super patriotic. We love reading books about veterans, watching war movies, attending concerts presented by military entertainers, etc, etc. I will watch for your books with veteran heroes. Thanks for caring.
Families of military members sacrifice a lot. I can’t imagine living through several years of deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet our friends have and survived. My husband is restired Alaska Air Guard.
I love Ronie Kendig’s books. You can tell she’s done her research.
It’s sad that Vietnam vets still don’t get much recognition. We still don’t talk about that war or those veterans or give them much honor. I know it’s much different now than it was during that time, but it still seems like the elephant-in-the-room war that no one wants to face. :/ I have an uncle who fought in Vietnam, and I had no idea until I was in my early twenties. And he has some amazing stories to tell, I hear. He fought three tours, I think, and was one of those helicopter pilots–you know, the ones where a small percentage of them came home.
My husband is a disabled Viet Nam veteran. His scars are internal such as PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. Thankfully his PTSD has gotten better over the years. I didn’t know him when he was in Viet Nam but I experienced his PTSD the first few years of married life. We will be celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary this June. It thrills me to see people come up to my hubby and thank him for his service. Just yesterday when we were getting ready to leave our table at a restaurant (my hubby had just put his Viet Nam vet cap back on) a young person walking by our table stopped and thanked my hubby for his service. That is happening more and more in the last few years. What a big difference from when we first married in 1973. Hardly anyone “recognized” a Viet Nam veteran. I am so thankful that the tide has turned in the last 20 years or so and they are getting the recognition they so deserve.
I so appreciate the men and women in uniform, now and in the past. I think military heroes are especially interesting because they are by nature strong and honorable.
I grew up in a military family. My father was in the army. When he finished serving he took the same job as a civilian with the dept of defense. I have been around military all my life and have been blessed to know many heroes, of course my dad was the first.
That’s awesome, Nancy!
Thank YOU and your husband for your sacrifice!
Alaska Air Guard! That sounds so intriguing and I don’t know anything about it… going to look it up now. :)
Sally–I will look for Ronie Kendig’s books. And Nancy: I think those “invisible wounds” in particular were not recognized or dealt with well for Vietnam vets. So glad your husband is doing well and getting some recognition at last.
Thanks, Deb–yes, they are iconic–sort of like your cowboys!
Thanks for commenting, Sharon. There are some advantages to being from a military family, but I know it’s not always easy.
Here in Australia our Vietnam Vets have suffered greatly in the past from the lack of recognition from serving in an “unpopular” war. This has changed a lot over recent years and much has been done to honour and recognise their service. Finally they are getting the honour and thanks they deserve.
Thanks, Lee for your books (which I love) and for including less-than-perfect heroes. Much as I like Steven Seagal in “Under Siege” his character is a little too man-of-steel!
Thank you for commenting, Narelle. Interesting to hear that the situation for Vietnam Vets in Australia parallels that of vets in the US. And I’m glad you like imperfect heroes! They sure are more interesting to write about.
That sounds fun to read. So the title is..what? Can I find it in Amazon for my kindle?
It’s called SMALL TOWN NANNY and you can pre-order it for Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/Small-Town-Nanny-Rescue-River-McClain-ebook/dp/B01767TYFQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
It’ll be out June 1. Thanks for reading!
I’ve read several Love Inspired Suspense with military or even ex-military in them. I do enjoy those story lines because they already make for great heroes! And I highly respect military folk :-)
Thanks, Lee. In Prelude, it’s more the aftereffects of Sam coming home from the war (and the reasons why). It meant a lot to me in a review where a reader made the comment that I portrayed a returning military man very well. And how can I forget Catching Serenity? But that’s all I’m saying. There’s a military hero in that one, too. And Echoes of Edinburgh has a secondary character who’s a war hero…wow, I have more than I realized! :)