Vietnam Veteran inspires Area IV

By Cpl. Jung Han Soh (IMCOMPacific)February 27, 2017

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(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Dave Roever visited the Camp Walker Chapel on Jan. 23 to speak about spiritual resiliency to the Area IV community.

"Because it's spiritual resiliency, you keep bouncing back from where you've never been on," said Roever. "How can you return from something you've never been to?

Dave Roever is a famous public speaker and also founder of the Roever Foundation. He served as United States Navy Patrol Boat, River gunner during the Vietnam War. While serving in Vietnam, a grenade exploded in his hand and he underwent numerous major surgeries.

Drawing on his war experiences, Roever delivered a lesson of hope from loneliness, pain and despair.

"For the first time in my life and the only time since, I lost hope," said Roever. "I looked in the mirror and saw a freaking monster that no teenage girl would ever love. I had no gun, I had no knife, so I pulled the tube and I laid my head back. Sometimes life is scarier than death, and I'm going to say to you from my lips, my nose, my breath, my heart to yours. Don't miss this point. Suicide has never been the solution."

The Roever Foundation has a long and exciting history in support of public education, the US military, assistance to wounded warriors, and tours in military war zones, with public speaking opportunities engaging the troops with a message of hope. The Roever Foundation's goal is to assist those especially in underprivileged countries and the youth in our public schools and assistance to our military providing them with inspirational speaking tours and training for wounded warriors through the wounded warrior alliance.

He also emphasized that you have to be young in spirit although you grow older.

"Stay young all of your life," said Roever. "Your body will get old and decay, so what! Don't get old, because somebody near you is looking at you as an example."

After Roever finished his story, he sang and played the guitar with his beautiful voice. CH(LTC) Sun Macupa, United States Army Garrison Daegu Chaplain presented USAG Daegu and U.S. Army Chaplain Corps coins to Roever. "It was great to have you here today," said Macupa.

Roever is now having a military installation tour across the Korea peninsula from Jan. 17 - 26.

For his miraculous background and talented communication skills, he now travels all across the world including schools and military bases to give a message of hope using his life as an example.