Customer Reviews

Lucky Enough

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I read "Lucky Enough," Eddie Beesley's autobiographical account of his time in the jungles and hell of Vietnam with my heart in my throat and sweat in my eyes. The sweat in my eyes is a reference to a quote in the book, "Marines don't cry, but sometimes their eyes sweat." So many accounts of the tribulation and suffering and bravery and loss of life and limb has been written about that ungodly war that the politicians would not allow them to win, but "Lucky Enough" is so heartbreakingly personal. You follow Eddie as a young man from Oklahoma to the awful hell in Southeast Asia. You meet his buddies, you feel his desires and his expectations, and finally you are with him when he steps on the land mine which will take both his legs off at the knees. This is not a self-serving book about Eddie's bravery, either in the war, or back home getting his thoughts around the fact that he would never walk again without help. This is a book of courage, understated, a love of God, and the desire to not give up. The not giving up is partly the Marine that he became and partly because of who he was before he joined the Marines; a good man who just wanted to do what was right. If you never read another book about Vietnam, please read this one.

Reading this book makes you realize what special people, Ed and Connie Beesley are. Ed went through so much adversity in Vietnam then still had so many uphill battles after coming home but he has remained a very positive and productive person and Connie has been there all along during this adventure called life. Ed and Connie continue to give their time and hearts to help our new and older veterans. This book was sad but so uplifting! Neither of them let Ed's injuries slow them down. Hurray to both of them and thank you for sharing Ed's story with us!!

The book stirred so many emotions in me that I had to take time to digest my feelings. The main emotion that I kept feeling was Love. Love of family. Love of Country. Love of competition. Love of his Brothers-in-Arms. But most of all Love for his wife. That kind of Love is rarely found in print. I applaud Ed for his courage to write this book and to put in print his feelings and his emotions. I applaud him even more for all the things he has done in his life and for him sharing a piece of himself with so many others. This book is a must read, especially for Veterans of all ages.

"Marines don't cry, but sometimes their eyes sweat."
While reading "Lucky Enough" by Ed Beesley I found my eyes sweating. His story about his life up to the present is truly an inspirational read.
And the old saw that "Behind every great man is a great woman" rings true when you think of his beloved wife Connie. She has
always been a steadfast believer in Ed. Together they made life
worth living...not only for themselves, but for many, many others.
Thank you Ed Beesley for sharing your memories by telling us all that you have been "Lucky Enough."

"Some things you choose, other things are chosen for you". This quote is on the cover of his book and until you read the book and see his life so bravely laid out on the 100 pages, you cannot possibly imagine how profound that statement really is. He was wounded 2 months before I was even born and yet he has been my hero for my entire life. How can that be when I only just a month ago received his book in the mail? Because he is everything I have always wanted to be. When the chips are down, have you ever wondered what sort of person you really are? I have. Have you ever wondered if you would tuck and run or stand and go the distance? Mr. Beesley was wounded on August 31, 1965, subsequently losing both legs and has since "gone the distance", went through recovery, rehab, got married had children and grandchildren and made a real life- some of which those of us without wounds have never accomplished. But those may not have even been his toughest hurdles. He had thought long and hard about visiting the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, perhaps even fearing what he might feel when he actually touched it and felt its presence. It might seem odd to some that a man who was such a strong young Marine and such a proud man that the Wall would be his tumbling block. He had been through so much and not only endured, but prevailed! But it indeed was. I am not a veteran and I cannot tell you the powerful experience it is to see the sea of names as far as the eye can see. It is not a presence to see as much as it is to feel. I cannot imagine how powerful it probably is for a veteran and particularly for someone who has already sacrificed so much. He faced the stone monument to life and death the same way he faced his wounds- with great honor and spirit that few possess, but with stuff that seems to be remarkable possessed by so many Marines. These are the reasons he has been my hero, even before I read his book. He has risen to every foe.
It is not a long book, only 100 pages, but you don't feel as if he has left things out in order to save space or spare his feelings. He has told his story in the powerful way that some epic novels require 5 times the space. There are times when you close your eyes and you see into the past and when you open them a tear will fall. You will probably wonder if you would have been able to do what he has done. Many could not. You will feel sad that so many men and women have suffered so much and feel even more touched when you realize his book is not about what the world owes him, though we clearly do, but about his journey, plain and simple, to where he is today. It is a place of envy for most of us. It would be so much easier to be bitter and angry and to spend your life in regret. I don't know if I would or not. But he is a Marine, to the core. The author is a man of strength and honor and great insight. He lost his legs to a war in a time when few appreciated or respected his sacrifice and yet he still stands taller than almost anyone I know. Read the book. It will be the best read you have had in a long time. It is truly the smallest package with the largest gift inside. Thank you Mr.Beesley for having the fortitude to become the man you are today.

"Eddie Beesley's book, "Lucky Enough", is an incredibly sensitive and remarkably revealing testament of his life's early travails...his desire to excel...his unwavering personal pride...and his relentless quest to overcome unthinkable adversities...adversities he didn't choose. An inspirational read for all...a must read for those who think that their lives have been rough. ~ Lloyd A. King - Combat infantry squad leader - Vietnam - 101st Airborne Division - Author of "From 'Nam With Love"

The audio book Lucky Enough by Cpl. Eddie R. Beesley is a book that should be heard by everyone that wants to listen to a memoir of a very courageous person, who served his country well, but also who was brave enough to tell the story of just how the Viet Nam War affected him, in more ways than the obvious physical loss. If you have the opportunity to read this book or listen to the audio version consider yourself "lucky enough" to have read a book that just may change your thinking about a time in history when there wasn't the troop support that there is in today's world.

Cpl. Eddie R. Beesley is a hero in my book. The fact that he and his wife, Connie, did the narration for the CD makes it that much more special, in my opinion. Mr. Beesley shares about his life from his early days, how he ventured into the Marine Corps, and life beyond. He takes his listeners through his life, but intersperses the narration with chapters telling the story about his visit to The Wall in Washington, D.C, which took place thirty years after the day that changed his life forever. Those of us who haven't served and/or sacrificed for our country can only know through a hero's story such as Lucky Enough the strength that it takes for a Viet Nam Veteran to face The Wall. It is a reminder to us about how many men and women have suffered so much.

Mr. Beesley's journey is one of many hills and valleys and readers will travel with him all along the way. He is a Marine through and through and the comparison of who he is today to the young man who enlisted in the USMC at age seventeen reveals a lot about his inner strength. Be sure to have your Kleenex close at hand when you are listening/reading. It is a touching book about a man who wouldn't let the loss of his legs keep him from moving forward. One would think that was enough to be able to overcome, but other struggles faced Eddie Beesley. Listen along and ask yourself where your inner strength comes from and learn from a man who is a true hero.

When young Marine Eddie R. Beesley got his legs blown off in Vietnam, he was not even twenty years old. Fresh off a farm in Oklahoma and the eighteenth of twenty-one children, Eddie was a handsome young man who had his whole life ahead of him. Eddie's well written account takes you far from the hell of the battle when his life changed forever, to the day in 1995 when he rolled up in his wheelchair to the Wall in D.C. and forced himself to come face to face with the young man he left behind in Vietnam. That young man was himself.

"Lucky Enough" is an excellent read that kept me up at night. The writing is clear, focused and you will sit on the edge of your seat from the first page until the end. I was privileged to meet the author and his beautiful wife Connie, a former USO hostess, at a recent meeting of military authors. While Eddie might have been the only person in a wheelchair, he was the tallest one in the room.

~ Kathleen M. Rodgers -- author of the award-winning novel "The Final Salute: Together We Live On"

Awesome book.Very well written.Eddie is full of courage and spirit as a war hero with disabilities from his war injuries who continues on thru life with an uplifting and positive attitude into a very successful life he makes for himself and others.He touches our soul and makes us proud to thank him and all the others who give their all for our freedom and our country.
D.Firth

Sometimes you follow someone's life in the media and you wonder if this guy is all what he seems to be. For those many veterans and handicapped people out there who have been helped because of the personal efforts of Eddie R. Beesley, then reading his short memoir will make you a believer, once again, in heroes. His book "Lucky Enough" is about a doing something positive regardless of what life deals you.

Eddie tells his story of growing up poor on a farm and going on to become a U.S. Marine. He talks about his tour of duty in Vietnam and about the events that lead to his losing both legs to a land mine explosion. But this is not the main focus of his tale. Once you dig a little deeper into his book you find how he used what life has presented to him to help himself and others. He has become a champion for the handicapped in this nation. He fought for public awareness and accommodations for those in wheel chairs at a time when he was one of the few lone voices speaking out.

His story is one of great physical and emotional pain. But he leaves you upbeat. He inspires you by his attitude to be of service to others. I was enthralled with his life story. My only regret was that it was not any longer as there were still things about Eddie that I would have liked to have learned about him.

He writes it simple and straight forward to the point. His pains and suffering are understated and briefly exposed. He was not writing his story looking for pity or to win any symphony but as a proud man--no, make that a PROUD MARINE! He is a fine example of that special bread of veteran that wears the USMC uniform with honor!

I think this book will give many additional insights into PTSD and related veteran issues. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to read something about war and want to become inspired. It will make you want to give Eddie both a hug and a salute. He is a true American Hero!

This book gets the MWSA's top rating of FIVE STARS! It also receives my personal endorsement. Buy it and read it!