Cody Owen was born into a middle class family in Boulder, Colorado. He was athletically inclined and excelled in golf. He had an older sister named Sandra. He was brought up with a belief in God and an understanding that he was his brother's keeper." At eleven Cody's father suffered a major stroke with left him unable to speak. This was a great loss to him since he was very close to his father. Cody took a job at a local grocer to help his mother. He often said his parents were his heroes...his mother gave him faith and his father gave him courage. He joined the U.S. Army in 1965 out of a sense of duty to his country. After boot camp he was shipped off to Vietnam. During his first month in country he experienced the devastation of war in the la Drang Valley battle. This engagement would change the way armed forces would fight the Vietnamese. It left him in a constant state of hyper vigilance. Upon returning home, Cody realized how difficult the transition to civilian life would be. Even before setting foot on U.S. soil angry war protestors spat on him as he disembarked. This trauma was lasting. He felt lost, bewildered and betrayed. The country he had fought for had thrown him away. The PTSD he was suffering from was not acknowledged and was dismissed by vveteras medical personnel. He did not find comfort in sharing his experiences with other vets. Instead it brought on more vivid he used flashbacks. He used alcohol to numb the pain. He stayed drunk and became homeless. He was among the many walking wounded living as an outcast on the streets of America. It was many years before he would live a productive life due in large part to employing the meditations he has shared in his book. Cody died in 2009 living with PTSD and from cancer due to exposure to Agent Orange.