Service Tails: More Stories of Man's Best Hero - Softcover

Collins, Ace

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1501820079 ISBN 13: 9781501820076

Verlag: Abingdon Press, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

Not all heroic dogs wildly toss themselves into lifesaving situations. Some save lives simply by their incredible commitment to duty and service. Some lead the way to independence for people whose disabilities were supposed to limit their lives. In Service Tails: More Stories of Man’s Best Hero, prolific author Ace Collins introduces us to leaders whose entire lives are wrapped in the banner of service. Their stories are remarkable snapshots of the value of vision and teamwork, as well as devotion to duty and unconditional love and acceptance–stretching the way we see both canine and human potential. Their training was intense, their loyalty unquestioned and each step of the way they constantly adapt to better serve those they lead. These unforgettable dogs are more than heroes; they are models from which we can learn how to love and serve unconditionally.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. He has authored more than sixty books that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children's works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a network television special and does college basketball play-by-play. Ace lives in Arkansas. Learn more about him by visiting AceCollins.com.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Service Tails

More Stories of Man'S Best Hero

By Ace Collins

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2016 Ace Collins
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5018-2007-6

Contents

"Introduction", 
"Beginnings", 
"Finding Love", 
"Team Potential", 
"Memories", 
"Employing Experience", 
"Down but Not Out", 
"A Ticket to Ride", 
"Maintaining Balance", 
"Hope", 
"Ignoring Barriers", 
"Unconditional", 
"Service Forgotten", 

CHAPTER 1

Beginnings

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is a progress; working together is success.

Henry Ford

Sometimes leading also means following. Sometimes being first means you actually arrive second.

* * *

A movement began with an athletic young man from Tennessee.

Morris Frank was fortunate to be born into a wealthy family in Nashville. In fact, if his family had not had money, his life and the lives of hundreds of thousands of others with disabilities might have been far different and much less productive. In this case, money was anything but the root of all evil. Rather, it was the launching pad for a revolution.

In 1914, when he was just six, Morris lost the sight in his right eye when he was struck by a tree limb while horseback riding. Coincidentally, his mother had lost her sight in the same fashion. During a boxing match a decade later, the teen lost vision in his left eye. Sud-denly, just like his mom, he was completely blind.

In the early 1920s, there were few options for disabled people. Most were not educated and had to depend upon their families for everything. Morris was the exception. Because of his family's wealth, the boy had opportunities that even those without visual impairments rarely received. His father hired readers so his son could attend an outstanding prep academy. With the help of paid human guides, Morris continued to go to exclusive summer camps in Maine and freely travel in both Nashville and up and down the East Coast. Even the doors to Vanderbilt University swung open for the young man when he graduated from high school.

Outgoing, charming, and driven, Morris thrived. By twenty he was a top-notch student and a successful insurance salesman. He was a regular at the local social scene and had a large group of friends who gladly offered rides to Nashville's premier events. It seemed the only things the well-dressed young man lacked were dependable employees. Those hired to read his lessons and review his insurance policies, as well as drive him to school and appointments, often didn't show up on time. Sometimes they didn't show up at all. Thus, in the one area where he really needed independence, he had none.

When his human guides didn't show up, Morris was forced to use a cane. The modern world's urban challenges were at times overwhelming. His outings with the only tool available for the blind took much longer than those using a human guide. Thus, he was often late for appointments, meetings, and school. The screech of tires became a common sound as he crossed a street unaware that a car or truck was in his path. Once, a wrong turn and a misstep caused him to tumble almost twenty feet into a freshly dug trench. Not able to climb out, he had to wait hours until a passerby discovered his predicament and helped him. In time he began to understand why most blind people stayed home.

It was a frustrated Morris who, in the late fall of 1927, sat in the family's living room listening to his father read from a recent issue of The Saturday Evening Post. John Frank's evening readings had been a tradition in the family since his wife, Jessie, had gone blind. For the past four years, Morris had also come to depend upon his father and these nightly gatherings to keep abreast of world events.

On that cool night, John read a story written by Dorothy Harrison Eustis called "The Seeing Eye." In the article, Eustis wrote about German shepherd dogs being trained in Europe to lead soldiers blinded in The Great War (now known as World War I). Morris intently listened, growing more and more excited as he pictured the way these dogs had brought men independence and value. The concept of a dog being the eyes for a blind man was almost inconceivable. How could the dog know when to stop and go? How could he determine the proper routes to take and how to avoid danger? This had to be a piece of fiction. There was no way that in one little corner of the world the blind were no longer dependent on others, that they were working and traveling on their own.

When his father finished reading, Morris's mind was whirling. Though he still wondered if this was nothing more than a fairy tale, a part of the young man wanted to believe an answer for his problem had been found.

As a boy, Morris had been his blind mother's guide. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he led her through crowded stores, up steep steps, and across busy streets. His one good eye had spotted dangers and pitfalls and helped her avoid them. As he remembered those days, the boy smiled. Maybe a dog could do those same tasks. Perhaps it wasn't so hard to believe after all.

Morris rose from his chair and walked toward his father. He had to know more, and the only way to do that was to dictate a letter to his father to be sent to the author in care of The Saturday Evening Post. In that short introductory correspondence, Morris informed the article's writer of his condition and asked her to verify that the seemingly miraculous story she had woven was completely accurate. If it was really true, he wanted to meet with her. In closing Morris assured Eustis he was willing to travel to the ends of the earth to get a dog that could lead him. The letter was mailed on November 5. Later in life Morris Frank would say that was the moment everything began to change.

For thirty agonizing days the young man waited. Each day he would check the mail; and as time passed, his hopes grew dimmer. He even came to believe the story Eustis had written was likely an exaggeration of the actual facts. The dogs couldn't really do what she had written, and that was the reason she had not answered his letter. By the thirtieth day, Morris had all but given up. He did not even bother going to the post office that early December morning. Thus, he didn't discover that Dorothy Eustis had replied until his father came home from work. In his hands John held an envelope from Fortunate Fields Farms in Switzerland.

First of all Eustis assured Morris that everything she had written was true. In fact, she had only had a chance to cover the basics of the skill sets the dogs had mastered. She then told him of a training center she owned, Fortunate Fields, which educated canines for work with the Red Cross and for various military groups. She then offered an invitation he had hoped for but not expected. If he would be willing to travel from Tennessee to Switzerland, she would bring in a specialized trainer and choose a dog just for Morris. By committing to several weeks of one-on-one work, she believed he would also be able to live out the story she had written for The Saturday Evening Post. After dangling the tempting offer, she asked the young man to think about it for a few weeks. She then assured Morris she would call when she visited the United States over the Christmas holidays.

Morris was literally dancing around the family living room. Initially the family was excited, too. Here was a chance for their son to gain a bit more independence. But, after hours of planning everything from what to feed the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Abingdon Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1501820079
• ISBN 13: 9781501820076
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 240
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar