We Are Superman

Helping and honoring our military veterans was deeply meaningful to David, and he helped support them with his American Heroes Run. As you may know, I now direct the event to continue his important legacy. Proceeds support Warriors’ Ascent, an organization that provides holistic programs to veterans and first responders experiencing post-traumatic stress. Treating veterans with this not-as-visible type of battlefield injury has often gotten overlooked by the Veteran’s Administration and organizations that support veterans. I became aware of Iraq War veteran Gene Bennett’s story and received a copy of his chilling book, “We Did Not Deserve the Crapper: The prison we entered but never fully left.” Gene served two tours in Iraq. At first, the Army used him as a truck tire mechanic, but as sometimes happens, they assigned him where needed, and with just a smattering of training, he ended up a prison guard. Gene, whose callsign was Spazmasterflex, termed this job “the worst babysitting job ever.” In 130o heat, often walking on metal grating during all-day or all-night shifts, he was tasked with guarding a violent population where Sunnis and Shia often clashed, and often meted out their own versions of justice, which could be death. Of course, they all wanted to kill the Americans. To make it worse, the prison comprised both adult and juvenile sections. At one point, an eight-year-old was detained and a riot broke out until this child was released. On his watch, an Iraqi teen was murdered, something which continues to haunt Gene. He also witnessed several incidents of horrible atrocities and jaw-dropping leadership ineptitude committed by U.S. military officers. His PTSD and depression no doubt were exacerbated by a difficult childhood in a dysfunctional family. Gene has been fighting back by working to get his fellow veterans improved treatment from the VA, as well as write a cookbook to help them take better care of themselves. He is also creating an innovative line of meat smokers. Gene and I had a very engaging conversation that I think will keep you on the edge of your seat. I’d highly recommend you read his book to get a bird’s eye look at one veteran’s deployment that will leave you shaking your head, but also rooting for this hero to emerge on the other side in a better place.

Gene Bennett
Book on Amazon: "We Did Not Deserve the Crapper: The prison we left but never fully left"
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Bill Stahl
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