Lucky Enough: Healing Hearts After the War 

Connie and Eddie Beesley are both survivors of the Vietnam War, in very different ways. While they still confront the hardships of their past, they dedicate their days to encouraging other veterans to seek help, find companionship, and keep going. 

The Vietnam Years 

Connie grew up in a military family, watching her father suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving in three different wars. After high school, she joined the United Service Organization (USO) to make life better for soldiers. She volunteered over 600 hours writing letters of encouragement, making home-cooked meals, and dancing with deployed soldiers at social events. 

Eddie was a Marine serving in Vietnam when he stepped on a landmine. He lost both of his legs. “The explosion was tremendous,” Eddie wrote in his biography, Lucky Enough. “The force threw me up and back over the twelve-foot hedge…I’M STILL ALIVE, I thought… I looked down and saw that both trouser legs were tattered and torn.” Eddie described the bones sticking out where his feet used to be. “I am not ready to die! Suck it up, Marine.” 

During his emergency medical flight to a hospital, his helicopter was shot down. After the rescue, the hospital where he was taken was also attacked. It was nearly a month before he was transferred to a military hospital in California for recovery and rehabilitation. Like many Vietnam veterans, he faced anger and indifference upon his return to America, even though he had sacrificed his ability to walk.

Eddie said that during his eight-month stay in the hospital, God sent an angel to rescue him. She was one of the young ladies who brought cookies and magazines to lift the spirits of the veterans. Her name was Connie.

Marriage and Mentoring

Connie and Eddie fell in love during those hospital visits, and now they are celebrating 59 years of marriage. Although their love story is inspiring, it came with silent challenges and difficulties. “Just like my dad, Eddie suffered from PTSD. Sometimes it was hard to understand what was in my husband’s head,” Connie said, “but then, I’ve never had a bullet fired at me. That changes a person forever. Being married to someone with PTSD takes a lot of patience and understanding.”

Due to Eddie’s injuries, finding a career was challenging. He studied elementary education at Central State College (now UCO), but schools did not hire teachers with disabilities. Eddie eventually started his own business, building vehicles designed for accessibility. 

“I had to teach myself to survive,” Eddie said. “I started doing wheelchair sports back when no one else was doing it, and I started a non-profit called Lucky Enough, Inc. to visit newly-injured soldiers in hospitals. Doctors can heal bodies, but they can’t always help with mental trauma. I lived that firsthand, so I have a lot to share with other veterans returning home.”

Connie talks with the wives of injured military members, sharing coping methods for living with a suffering soldier. She also sews patriotic Quilts of Valor. “They came back to an unfriendly country, but it’s not too late to make them feel important and cared for,” Connie said. 

Survival Ambassadors 

Although the Beesleys are now in their seventies, they work as full-time troop ambassadors for Lucky Enough, Inc. He and Connie travel across the country visiting hospitals, speaking at schools and civic organizations, and attending military ceremonies. They are active at Edmond’s American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post, as well as with national organizations. 

“It’s important to connect with other veterans. I attend yearly reunions with my battalion. We share many of the same memories. Being with those who have served together or have the same experiences can help people more than any psychiatrist. I encourage all younger military members from recent wars to stay in touch with their units, too,” said Eddie. “It’s one of the best ways to deal with PTSD.” 

Talking about mental health has become a focal point of the Beesleys’ mission, as they frequently visit veterans who feel hopeless. “It breaks my heart that so many young people contemplate suicide,” Eddie said. “I know firsthand that there is still life after injury. I even found my wife after being injured. Now, Connie and I are privileged to be an example of how to overcome and endure.” 

Eddie is often approached by deeply depressed veterans, and he is always willing to share his story or give them a free copy of his book. He frequently hears that his book saves lives. “One veteran told me he had sat down with his gun, ready to end his life-but his eyes caught a glimpse of my book on the bedside stand. After reading it, he decided, ‘If Eddie made it, I can make it, too.’” 

“In more recent wars, veterans returned home as heroes, but not in my generation,” Eddie said. “People tried to beat us. They hated us. Called us names. We had to survive that.” In his book, Eddie wrote one of his secrets for survival. “Connie and I choose happiness, even when our world is complicated and difficult. Guilt, sorrow, and loss are burdens I must bear, but after seeing death up close, I am grateful for the many joys and satisfactions in my life…I’m not living the life I visualized, but if you are lucky enough to be a United States Marine, you are lucky enough.”