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

Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name.

Kelly Kowall’s son personifies that saying.

In 2009, Specialist Corey J. Kowall was killed in action while serving with the US 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 get that opportunity.”

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

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

“They’re really my hero and who I want to help because of my son,” Kowall said.

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My Warrior’s Place is that legacy. The Ruskin-based nonprofit offers veterans a place to rest, relax and process the things that keep them up at night.

They can stay overnight in the savior’s comfortable cabins. They can fish and kayak on the Little Manatee River, which borders the property. Veterans can stay a few minutes or a few weeks.

Kowall has seen the rescue make a real difference in veterans’ lives.

“Sometimes you see them go from frowns to smiles,” she said. “I’ve had veterans come up to me years later and say, ‘You didn’t know when I was there, but I was thinking about suicide and I’m going today and not one of the 22 because of me. Place of the Warriors. That’s huge.”

As she walks the peaceful grounds of My Warrior’s Place, she feels her son’s presence. She feels it urges her to continue the important work.

“He’s letting me know, you know, to keep fighting,” Kowall said. “And I’ve had other people say they feel it too.”

Currently, however, her nonprofit is at a crossroads since Helene and Milton.

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

The first storm flooded most of the cabins provided to the veterans. The second storm uprooted trees, which crushed some of what was left.

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“Helene and Milton did more damage than we’ve ever seen,” Kowall said. “Ever.”

My Warrior’s Place would like to continue helping veterans, but needs help of its own right now in the form of money or labor.

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

Has the nonprofit gone too far?

For now, Kowall says her son’s presence is still too strong to even consider surrender.

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

Inside one of the destroyed cottages is a memento of Corey’s supreme spirit.

Before the flood, Kowall wrote a message on one of the cabin’s pins. 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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His name, however, is still spoken. His presence still guides his mother forward.

You can learn more about helping My Warrior’s Place at this link.