Readers Digest: A Soldiers Combat Survival Guide
Pros:
Fantastic True Stories That'll Make The Toughest Guys Whimper!
Cons:
Not A Darn One!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
A Care Package Doesnt have To Have Cookies
and cookies were no part of the small gift from a big heart that I received in the mail 12 years ago. As a US Soldier serving in Central America for the past year, I devoured anything that reminded me of home. An old family friend (who also was a GI years prior) sent me an annual subscription to Readers Digest for Christmas. As a young man with his time so occupied by the then current political situation in Central America, I rarely had time to even sleep, so needless to say opportunities to read were scarce. At the time, I heard of Readers Digest but never read a single one. As a boy Id seen a few of the old hardcover books when I went Rummage Sale-ing with my Mother. Maybe it was the old green covers of those dusty volumes that kept me from ever picking one up. Or maybe I thought that if the stories were so great, why would someone sell them at a Rummage Sale? All that didnt matter as I carried my new issue upstairs to my barracks room, all I cared about was that I got something from home.
Soldiers Dont Cry
So why was this spit-shined GI watering around the eyeballs? Id better talk to the Supply Sergeant and see if I can get some new Peepers issued before my Platoon Leader seen me wetting the pages of this magazine. Little did I know that this small token from a friend so far away would affect my life in so many ways. Its inspirational stories carried me through the next year dealing with being an American living in a foreign land while the countrys government collapsed around me. The real life stories of courage I read about kept my mind off the anti-American sentiment I was seeing on the local Spanish-language news.
Every month when my new issue arrived I would read the entire thing twice before passing it around the barracks to my fellow soldiers. Ironically, the day before I was to fly back to the US, I noticed 4 or 5 of my Readers on the companys break room coffee table. They were tattered and weathered after being read by so many homesick soldiers. At first I thought about collecting and packing them away in my duffel bag. Then I heard the door slam in another room. I walked out to see who was brave enough to the let company door shut with such a force it echoed through the halls. As I peered across the company common area I saw 3 new soldiers arriving with duffel bags in tow. At the moment these particular three were doing push-ups while one of the friendly Sergeants welcomed them to their platoon. I stood there with a stack of Readers Digest in my hands wondering what the next couple of years were going to be like for the young soldiers. I decided to return the magazines to the coffee table. I figured the new guys were probably going to need some inspirational stories more than I do.
Readers Digest Today
After all these years, Readers Digest is still an important part of my reading life. I believe the variety of input from so many great writers ignited my passion to begin writing myself. To do more than write something about a particular topic. To really tell a story and make the reader feel the emotion of what the writer was trying to convey.
Next time youre at the Dentist or in line at the grocery store, pick one up for a little inspiration that goes a long way. Readers Digest is $2.49 an issue. Its a far better deal to go with an annual subscription. Current rates for 12 issues are only $11.88 yearly. Subscriptions are available by going to www.ReadersDigest.com. There are also stories at the web site if you want to check it out before subscribing.
Readers Digest is published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Russian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Thai, and Korean. It also comes in Braille, on cassette and in large-type editions.
