John E Craven II - A Legacy of Hope - One Veteran's Journey

On this page, we would like to share some reviews, both unsolicited and solicited, of John's book as well as some press and news clippings about his mission. If you'd like to share your thoughts about John's book, or if you have an interest in interviewing John or having him speak at a function, please contact him.

** Note: Some of the articles below are in PDF format. To be able to read these articles, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. **
This is a free program and is available for download by clicking on this link.

January 14, 2010	The Wells, ME Rotary Club donated $1,000 to the D.O.V.E. Fund, to be put toward the Hoang Van Thu Junior High School building project. Accepting the donation was the son of one of the fallen soldiers, Wayne Elkins, Jr. The article can be accessed online at http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100114-LIFE-1140341
December 25, 2009	The Ahwatukee Foothills News in Phoenix, AZ wrote this story about John's friend, John Rice. At 62, John Rice is preparing for his first marathon. He will run the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on January 17, 2010. Rice has set up a blog to allow people to view his progress as he trains and completes the marathon. All All donations raised during this training and the marathon will be donated to the Hoang Van Thu Junior High School building project. The article can be accessed online at http://www.ahwatukee.com/news/rice-8466-marathon-weeks.html
May 30, 2009	The News-Herald covered the story of John's return to Vietnam for the dedication of the Jr. High School. The article is available in PDF format below, and can be accessed online at http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2009/05/30/news/doc4a217651a673e590495216.txt Page 1 (PDF)
August, 2008	The Banner in Bernice, Louisiana featured a memorial to all of the fallen heroes of Company A 70th Engineers (Combat)(Army) 1965-1969. One of the men who was killed during that tour, Clifton Anthony Davis, was from that area, and the newspaper article memorialized him while highlighting the work that John is doing with the D.O.V.E. Fund in Vietnam. The article is available below in PDF format. Page 1 (PDF)
April 12-13, 2008	The York County, ME newspaper ran a feature story about Wayne Elkins, Jr. - the son of Wayne Elkins, Sr., one of John's fallen comrades in Vietnam. The story centered around the trip that Wayne, Jr. took back to Vietnam with John and his feelings about John's mission there. The article is available below in PDF format. Page 1 (PDF) Page 2 (PDF)
March 30, 2008	In a follow-up to the November article, the News-Herald ran a front page story about John's return to Vietnam with the son of one of his fallen comrades, Wayne Elkins, Jr. Article is available below in PDF format, and can be accessed online at http://thenewsherald.com/stories/033008/loc_20080330001.shtml Page 1 (PDF)
March 30, 2008	In a secondary article, the News-Herald documented John's reaction to government regulations which made it impossible to visit the site of the school in progress. Article is available below in PDF format, and can be accessed online at http://thenewsherald.com/stories/033008/loc_20080330014.shtml Page 18A (PDF)
November 11, 2007	John was interviewed for the News-Herald, a local community newspaper where John lives. The story was featured on the front page and centered around Veteran's Day and John's pilgrimage back to Vietnam. Article is available below in PDF format, and can be accessed online at http://thenewsherald.com/stories/111107/loc_20071111003.shtml. Page 1 (PDF) ... continued on Page 14 (PDF)
November 11, 2007	As a sidebar article to the front page, the News-Herald ran a smaller story about John's healing and his determination to honor the memory of his three fallen comrades. Available below in PDF format. Page 15 (PDF)





* Wayne's father, Wayne Robert Elkins Sr., was one of the three men who died in Vietnam, for whom the school is to honor.
* Bill and Lois Barnes are owners of Shutterbug Digital in Monroe, MI
* Renee Treece and her husband, Tom, run Guided Ministries. Tom is also a Vietnam Vet who wrote the book The Ghost Closet.
* Written by Tim Kearney, the Chairman of DOVE, and his wife Pat