This interactive experience was based on the story of Dwight Edwards. After enlisting in the military at 17, Dwight Edwards trained to become a paratrooper for the United States Army. Like many others, he had no idea he was headed to Vietnam the moment he signed up. His first rude awakening of Vietnam's hostile war zone occurred on his 20th birthday. While trapped in the bottom of a canyon, he dug a fox hole for cover and walked away without any harm at the end of the battle. Amidst the chaos of war, Dwight enjoyed receiving letters from home. He decided to spare them the negative details in his letters home, to keep them from worrying.
As R&R approached, he decided to travel to the Philippines where he enjoyed the club scene and had a crazy week. Once his time at R&R was up, he returned to base a couple days late, due to flight delays. As Dwight recalls, he was "punished" by being “volunteered” to go on a dangerous mission, which he completed without a scratch. Just before he was about to return home, he was struck with malaria and spent over a month in the hospital. Luckily, most of that time was spent in a hospital on U.S. soil.
Upon his return, Dwight felt a lot of anger about his time in Vietnam and chose the path of drugs and alcohol to ease his mind. He didn’t have a clear idea of where the future would take him and worked around town. That was until he was struck by a car and was forced to recuperate for weeks at home with a broken leg. One day he read an ad in the paper for veterans to receive a college education. He seized the opportunity and eventually received a degree in elementary education, secondary education, and began helping others in a drug treatment program. In the midst of this, Dwight became involved in the ministry of his church, and discovered his passion to become an ordained minister, which he is today.
