One of the many beliefs that military families hold dear is: “we never leave a man behind.” As you may know, I was very active on Twitter during my convalescence and would “tweet” regularly between coaching my clients.
One day, I found my account had been hacked. The three months of work it took to build my following were gone in a flash and I was forced to start tweeting again from a new profile. Out of the wilderness of Tweeple came a strong, clear voice, “Hey, Deanna. You’re tweeting from a new profile. What happened?”
“Big Joe” Ryan had found my voice again in the sea of Twitter and he rode to my rescue. “Lost your followers?” he asked. “Let me help you,” he said. He tweeted out to his followers and they tweeted to their followers and the next thing I knew, my followers and many, many others had found me and connected to me and they heard my voice. He didn’t leave me behind.
Over the course of weeks and months, we have built up a twiendship. I sent him my Together We Served Profile once and he responded to me. “You have lived all over the world, you were in the military, a Hospital Corpsman to boot. You didn’t have to come back. Why did you?” I answered him, “because, Big Joe, we never leave a man behind. I got out there and didn’t see too many other veterans out there with me. I wanted them to know how easy it can be. So, I came back for the others.”
When “Big Joe” was slapped in Twitter Gulag, @RightWingAngel lead the charge to “free” Joe Ryan. We “tweeted” to Twitter Support until he was released and returned to the sea of Tweeple. We didn’t leave him behind, either. Big Joe is not a member of the military. As far as I know, he has never served. However, he’s got a son in the Army somewhere that he is extremely proud of and loves dearly. He will never be left behind.
And, I know that even now, for those of us who are part of this community, whether we are active duty, veterans, spouses and supporters we will always believe and live by the “golden rule.” Never leave a man behind.
Please feel free to post comments or ask me questions in the comments area below or on my Facebook page!
Deanna Wharwood’s passion is to help veterans, service-disabled veterans and their dependents create the systems they need to start and grow businesses from their first dollar to six-figures. Unlike other coaches, consultants, mentors and trainers, she is a veteran who successfully transitioned from military life to entrepreneurship. Learn more about Deanna – The Veterans’ Coach and how she can help you!
