RUSKIN, Fla. — There is a quote often attributed to Ernest Hemingway.

Every man experiences two deaths, when he is buried and the last time anyone speaks his name.

Kelly Kowall’s son personifies this saying.

In 2009, Specialist Corey J. Kowall was killed in action while serving with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

“He wanted to be an Army Airborne – Ranger. Jump out of planes,” Kowall said. “His plan was to come back from Afghanistan and go to Ranger school. He just didn’t have this opportunity.

However, if Hemingway’s words are true, Corey is still very much alive.

His mother, Kowall, still says his name almost daily. Over the past 12 years, she has worked tirelessly to cement her name in a legacy of helping other veterans.

“They are truly my heroes and I want to help them because of my son,” Kowall said.

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My Warrior’s Place is that legacy. Ruskin’s nonprofit provides veterans with a place to rest, relax and deal with the things that keep them up at night.

They can spend the night in the rescue’s comfortable cottages. They can fish and kayak on the Little Manatee River, which adjoins the property. Veterans may stay for a few minutes or a few weeks.

Kowall found that the rescue made a real difference in the lives of veterans.

“Sometimes you see them go from frowns to smiles,” she said. “Veterans came up to me years later and said, ‘You didn’t know this when I was there, but I was contemplating suicide, and I’m walking today and I’m not part of the 22, because of my The Place of the Warrior. It’s huge.

When she walks through the tranquil gardens of My Warrior’s Place, she feels the presence of her son. She feels that he pushes her to continue her important work.

“He lets me know, you know, to keep fighting,” Kowall said. “And other people said they felt it too.”

However, right now, her nonprofit is at a crossroads from Helen and Milton.

“I know the first day I came here and saw the devastation after Helene, I just cried,” she said.

The first storm flooded most of the cabins offered to veterans. The second storm uprooted trees, destroying some of what remained.

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“Helen and Milton did more damage than we’ve ever seen,” Kowall said. “Never.”

My Warrior’s Place would like to continue helping veterans, but is currently in need of assistance in the form of money or manpower.

“Anything would help,” Kowall said. “We need volunteers. If you’re a skilled tradesman, you know, drywall, painting, you know, flooring, subflooring. All this is necessary.

Has the nonprofit gone too far?

For now, Kowall says his son’s presence is still too strong to even think about surrendering.

“He knows when I’m down or overwhelmed, and he keeps reminding me that you have to keep fighting,” she said.

Inside one of the dilapidated cottages is a reminder of Corey’s primordial spirit.

Before the flood, Kowall had drawn a message on one of the cottage’s posts. When the floodwaters receded, the message was still there: a heart wrapped around Corey’s name and the date his body died.

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But his name is still spoken. His presence always guides his mother forward.

You can find out more about how to help My Warrior’s Place at this link.