Vietnam Vet and Daughter Write Kindness Book for Kids

J.W. Jones spent his teenage years rescuing downed pilots from a helicopter in Vietnam, but his proudest mission happened decades later on a softball field in Italy, Texas.

Jones and his adopted daughter JoAnn Miller just published "Tatay's Team: The Kindness Club," a middle-grade novel inspired by their real-life journey together. The book follows JoAhn, a young Filipina girl struggling to fit into a fictional Texas town, as she transforms her softball team and community through her grandfather's wisdom.

The real story began in the Philippines, where Jones met and married Angeles Hermonio, a widow with a young daughter named Joan. After adopting Joan and changing her name to JoAnn to preserve the Filipino pronunciation, Jones brought his family to the U.S. in 1988.

JoAnn started as what she now calls a "head's down" girl at Italy High School. Then she tried out for softball, and Jones remembers the moment everything shifted when he came home to find his daughter waiting on the porch with a glove in her hand, ready to practice.

"She had been disappointed with herself first, and I encouraged her to try hard," Jones recalled, his eyes glistening at the memory.

The transformation worked. JoAnn graduated as valedictorian from Italy High School in 2003, and Jones became such a beloved coach that Italy ISD named their softball field after him.

Sunny's Take

In their book, the fictional JoAhn shares Filipino proverbs with her teammates, slowly building confidence and respect. The real JoAnn may not remember how to speak Filipino anymore, but she never forgot her grandfather's wise sayings.

Now living in Oregon with her own family, JoAnn stays connected to her father through writing. The duo plans more books in the series, including one about overcoming failure.

"What we want is for kids to treat each other with kindness and encouragement," Jones said. "We hope that JoAhn's story will be relatable to a lot of girls like her."

From Vietnam heroism to Philippines adoption to Texas softball fields to published authors, this father-daughter team proves the most powerful stories are the ones we live together.

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