Green Beret and Son Team Up For Book Depicting Military Family Life

When nine-year-old Davidson Whetstone was three, his military father Dave was injured by an blast in Afghanistan — a few days before Christmas.

Now the child prodigy has released a book ahead of Veterans Day in the US (Remembrance Day in most Commonwealth countries). Brave For My Family is an illustration book detailing Davidson’s dad’s hospital recovery and eventual return to the battlefield — and what life is really like when your old man is a Green Beret who has served 10 lengthy deployments.

The words are Davidson’s, while the moving illustrations (as featured) are Dave’s. Davidson’s mother Elizabeth told North Carolinian publication The Pilot the idea was jointly shared between Dave and Davidson. “Dave is an artist and likes to draw and paint, but he doesn’t always have a lot of time to do that anymore.”

Elizabeth told The Pilot that the book became a form of therapy for father and son during Dave’s recovery and the pair would sit together on Sunday afternoons to write and draw. “They only worked on it when Dave was home and they could work together,” Elizabeth said.

Published by Southern Pines independent bookstore The Country Bookshop, proceeds from Brave For My Family will support other military families through the Green Beret Foundation, the Rick Herrema Foundation, the Lead the Way Fund, the Navy Seal Foundation, Semper Fi Fund and Patriot Foundation.

“I can’t express how proud I am of my whole family, and how immeasurably blessed I am to have each of them in my life. I am so proud of Davidson for writing this book,” Dave told The Pilot.

“But if I’m being honest, this is only a snapshot of his talents and passion as a good young man.”

You can purchase a copy of Brave For My Family online here.