In this powerful episode of Healed. Whole. Called., Wendy Melrose sits down with Corporal Wesley C. Ross, a United States Marine Corps veteran and author of My War, His War. At just 17 years old, Wesley enlisted in the Marine Corps, stepping into a life of discipline, brotherhood, and eventually combat.

In 2004, during the second assault in Fallujah, Iraq, everything changed. After completing turret watch and rotating positions with a fellow Marine, Wesley found himself sitting with his interpreter when a series of explosions began to detonate nearby. The first was close. The second was closer. The third, he never heard. The blast rendered him unconscious, marking the beginning of a new and unexpected war—one fought not overseas, but within his own body and mind.

What followed were years of surgeries, physical complications, and long-term recovery. Today, Wesley continues to manage chronic pain and lymphedema, living with the lasting effects of combat trauma. Yet through every surgery, every setback, and every moment of uncertainty, he remains steady in one conviction: God was there.

He believes the Lord was present in the explosion, in the evacuation helicopter, in the operating room, and in the long, quiet hours of recovery. That conviction shaped what would become his CAMP method—a framework born from lived experience and anchored in faith.

CAMP stands for:

Confront the circumstance.

Wesley teaches that avoidance only deepens defeat. Instead, we are called to face what stands before us. For him, anchoring to purpose means anchoring to Jesus Christ—the Rock who does not shift when circumstances do. Even when movement hurts, even when progress is slow, forward is still forward. Like a shark that can only swim ahead, he reminds us that healing requires motion.

Perhaps the most sobering part of Wesley’s testimony is his honesty about despair. He speaks directly to those who feel overwhelmed or tempted to give up, especially veterans navigating invisible wounds. Suicide, he says plainly, is not the answer. It is a permanent decision for a temporary battle. His encouragement is simple but powerful: keep moving forward.

Wesley’s story is not about glorifying war. It is about redemption within it. His injuries did not end his purpose—they clarified it. Through his book and speaking, he now serves anyone facing adversity, offering a framework forged in combat and refined in surrender.

The battle did not destroy him. In Christ, it rebuilt him.

Website: https://a.co/d/07jBzkIe

Book: My War, His War — available on Amazon

Connection details beyond his book were not mentioned in this episode. Please check the show notes or Wendy Melrose’s social platforms for updates.

If you’re carrying a story or testimony and sense a quiet stirring to do something more with it, but you’re unsure what that next step should be, I’ve created a resource to help you discern that.

The Story Discernment Guide is a reflective guide designed to help you pause, pray, and gain clarity around the story you’re stewarding — before you write, publish, or share it publicly.

You can explore the Story Discernment Guide at storycalling.info.

Your story is not an accident.
You are healed.
You are whole.
You are called — and stewarding your story well matters.