Veterans Day and the Stories That Deserve to Be Told
My first ghostwriting project was a veteran’s story. It was personal: my grandfather, a WWII veteran.
Watch: Philip Smith's interview for the Veterans History Project at Atlanta History Center, Atlanta History Center
My Grandfather’s Story
Before the war, my grandfather had been a ship’s cook in the U.S. Navy, stationed in China.
His life took a harrowing turn when he became a prisoner of war, marched through Manila and held in captivity for years. The family had always said it was the Bataan Death March, but when I wrote his memoir from his actual journals, the real story emerged. That was one of the first lessons ghostwriting taught me: family hearsay isn’t the same as the veteran’s account. Primary sources matter.
The family knew him as gruff and standoffish. Writing his story changed how I understood him.
As I worked through his journals and memories, I realized how much he’d endured and how much of that endurance had shaped the man the family knew.
The gruffness was scar tissue. Writing his story was an act of understanding as much as an act of honor. It taught me that ghostwriting is about doing justice to someone’s life and legacy.
That project opened my eyes to the significance of preserving veterans’ stories and set the direction for the rest of my career. By writing about my grandfather, I made sure his legacy would continue, that my children and their children would know what he survived and who he was before, during, and after the war. His memoir, Behind the Wire, is available to read.
What I Learned Hiring Veterans at Trader Joe’s
When I managed teams at Trader Joe’s, I regularly hired veterans, especially those from the Marines or Special Forces.
Their reliability was unmatched. They showed up on time, completed tasks efficiently, and brought a level of discipline and teamwork that lifted everyone around them. Veterans don’t just bring skills to a workplace. They bring values: integrity, loyalty, and commitment.
Each veteran had their own story, carried quietly. For some it was combat. For others it was resilience in the face of hardship. But each one added to our team beyond their job description. Through those years, I gained a deeper respect for what military service produces in a person and became more committed to the idea that these stories deserve to be preserved.
Why do veterans’ stories go untold?
Many veterans, especially those from older generations, hesitate to share their experiences. Some see it as boasting. Some feel that civilians won’t understand. Some simply don’t want to revisit what happened. The result is that critical stories, the kind that connect families to their own history and connect all of us to the cost of the freedoms we take for granted, disappear when the veteran dies.
Ghostwriting gives a way around that resistance. The veteran doesn’t have to sit down and write. They talk. A skilled ghostwriter conducts interviews, asks questions that draw out the material, and handles the writing. The veteran’s job is to remember and to tell it straight. The ghostwriter’s job is to listen, organize, and produce a manuscript that sounds like the veteran telling their own story.
As Stephen Ambrose said, “I strongly believe that writing is an act of courage.” For veterans, having their story written can be exactly that: a courageous step toward sharing memories that may be painful but that deserve a place in the record.
How do you approach a veteran’s story?
The interview process for a veteran’s memoir requires particular care. Veterans may hesitate to discuss their experiences, and the ghostwriter has to earn trust before the real stories emerge.
Start with open-ended questions that give the veteran control. “What was your proudest moment during your service?” or “What do you wish civilians understood about military life?” These questions open doors without forcing anyone through them.
Be patient. Some of the most important material surfaces in the second or third interview, after the veteran has decided you’re someone they can trust with their story. Don’t rush. Don’t push. Give them space and show that you’re there to listen without judgment.
Focus on small moments as much as large ones. The daily routines, the friendships, the humor that provided relief during difficult times. These details make a memoir feel lived-in instead of like a history textbook.
A reader doesn’t need to understand every military operation. They need to understand what it felt like to be there.
Include historical context where it serves the story. Dates, locations, and the broader military situation help readers understand the scope of what the veteran experienced. But the personal story comes first, and the context frames it.
Preserve the veteran’s voice. Capture their way of speaking, the phrases they use, their rhythm. A veteran’s memoir should sound like them.
The Therapeutic Value of Telling the Story
Writing isn’t only valuable for readers. For many veterans, the process of telling their story provides a form of closure. Research on expressive writing has shown that putting difficult experiences into words can reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD.
Organizations like the Veterans Writing Project, a nonprofit founded by veteran Ron Capps, provide no-cost writing workshops for veterans, service members, and their families. They publish the literary journal O-Dark-Thirty and have facilitated expressive writing programs at the Department of Defense’s National Intrepid Center of Excellence for PTSD and TBI treatment.
The act of telling the story, whether through writing it themselves or working with a ghostwriter, allows veterans to reclaim their narrative.
For some, it’s the first time they’ve spoken about certain experiences. For others, it’s a chance to organize memories that have been fragmented for decades. Either way, the process has value beyond the finished book.
Veterans Day Is About More Than One Day
Veterans Day is a chance to reflect on the true cost of the freedoms we live with every day. It’s a day to remember both those who served and the families who waited, the communities that supported them, and the generations shaped by their sacrifices.
But honoring veterans shouldn’t be limited to November. Preserving their stories is something that can happen any time, and the sooner it happens, the better. Veterans are aging. Memories fade. The window for capturing firsthand accounts of Korea, Vietnam, and even the Gulf War is closing.
If there’s a veteran in your life whose story hasn’t been told, consider what it would mean to preserve it. Whether you sit down with a recorder, write it yourself, or work with a professional, every veteran’s story deserves to be heard.
Schedule a free consultation to discuss preserving a veteran’s story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related from the writer’s calendar: Memorial Day: Honoring the People Who Serve.