A Beautiful Tragedy
A Navy Seal Widow's Permission to Grieve and a Prescription for Hope
Published on 25. August 2020
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-7334280-4-0 (ISBN)
Description
On June 28, 2005, nineteen U.S. service members perished in the mountains of Afghanistan. The author's husband, Navy SEAL Jacques Fontan, was one of those killed.
The mission, Operation Red Wings, has become one of the most well-known operations in contemporary warfare. Only one survivor lived to tell the harrowing story, resulting in books, speeches, and a blockbuster movie, Lone Survivor. Perhaps more important, the mission created much-needed public awareness and curiosity about the realities of war and survival.
But there have been no books, speeches, or movies written about the other survivors: the women and children whose lives changed forever that summer day. While each widow and family processed the tragedy differently, Char became absorbed in anger and bitterness. Coping with grief was unfamiliar and scary to her. She hated God, whom she had trusted all her life, and blamed Him for losing her husband in such a violent manner.
Before she knew it, she was on the front lines of a battle to regain her own life. When all seemed lost, the kindness and persistence of a neighbor brought renewed hope and restoration to her horribly broken heart in a surprising and refreshing way.
This is her story as one of the survivors of Operation Red Wings.
The mission, Operation Red Wings, has become one of the most well-known operations in contemporary warfare. Only one survivor lived to tell the harrowing story, resulting in books, speeches, and a blockbuster movie, Lone Survivor. Perhaps more important, the mission created much-needed public awareness and curiosity about the realities of war and survival.
But there have been no books, speeches, or movies written about the other survivors: the women and children whose lives changed forever that summer day. While each widow and family processed the tragedy differently, Char became absorbed in anger and bitterness. Coping with grief was unfamiliar and scary to her. She hated God, whom she had trusted all her life, and blamed Him for losing her husband in such a violent manner.
Before she knew it, she was on the front lines of a battle to regain her own life. When all seemed lost, the kindness and persistence of a neighbor brought renewed hope and restoration to her horribly broken heart in a surprising and refreshing way.
This is her story as one of the survivors of Operation Red Wings.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Canada
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
340 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-7334280-4-0 (9781733428040)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Charissa Fontan Westfall is a wife, mother, Christian, and the surviving widow of Navy SEAL Jacques Fontan, who was killed in action during the rescue mission depicted in the book and movie "Lone Survivor."
Char's life was turned upside down the day her husband was killed in service to his country. Her dreams of being happy on earth and having a family with Jacques were crushed, leaving her seemingly without hope or a future. Over the next year she tried to cope with her enormous loss, but to no avail. With her visions of the future crushed, she began a downward spiral that manifested itself in extreme anger. She was mad at everyone, even God, who she'd always had such a strong relationship with.
Through the help of family and friends and several survivor foundations, she began to seek help for her anger and grief.
Char turned to counselors who helped her process all the questions she had. While she does not hesitate to admit that many questions remain unanswered, she is the first to also admit her biggest mistake was not seeking therapy right away and choosing instead to deal with her loss alone.
Today, Char's life is a picture of restoration and hope. One of her favorite things to tell people is that God blessed her life twice with love. She married Drew Westfall in 2008 and they were blessed with their first child in 2009 and their third in 2014. It was because of Drew's encouragement to share her story and support other surviving spouses that she became involved in several foundations that help those dealing with loss. Her involvement has included work with the Special Ops Survivor Foundation, being on the board of the Lone Survivor Foundation, in addition to working with the Boot Campaign and Team Never Quit, all of which have made a difference in both her continued healing and that of others.
Char's life was turned upside down the day her husband was killed in service to his country. Her dreams of being happy on earth and having a family with Jacques were crushed, leaving her seemingly without hope or a future. Over the next year she tried to cope with her enormous loss, but to no avail. With her visions of the future crushed, she began a downward spiral that manifested itself in extreme anger. She was mad at everyone, even God, who she'd always had such a strong relationship with.
Through the help of family and friends and several survivor foundations, she began to seek help for her anger and grief.
Char turned to counselors who helped her process all the questions she had. While she does not hesitate to admit that many questions remain unanswered, she is the first to also admit her biggest mistake was not seeking therapy right away and choosing instead to deal with her loss alone.
Today, Char's life is a picture of restoration and hope. One of her favorite things to tell people is that God blessed her life twice with love. She married Drew Westfall in 2008 and they were blessed with their first child in 2009 and their third in 2014. It was because of Drew's encouragement to share her story and support other surviving spouses that she became involved in several foundations that help those dealing with loss. Her involvement has included work with the Special Ops Survivor Foundation, being on the board of the Lone Survivor Foundation, in addition to working with the Boot Campaign and Team Never Quit, all of which have made a difference in both her continued healing and that of others.