After the Storms: From Red Dirt to RedemptionBy S.E. Cunningham
"In Southwestern Oklahoma, you grow up knowing that the wind is not just weather-it is a force that can negotiate with your life."
After the Storms is a visceral, cinematic memoir that traces the journey of a "caboose" in a family of eight-forged in the red dirt of Lawton, Oklahoma-who became a protector on the world's most dangerous front lines only to find himself hollowed out by grief and fury.
The narrative begins with a "baptism by wind and debris" during the devastating April 10, 1979, Lawton tornado. This event literalized the fragility of physical foundations for a young S.E. Cunningham. Drawing on a family lineage of "iron in the blood" resilience, Cunningham transitioned from the lean years of a childhood marked by poverty and an addiction-impacted home into a high-stakes career as a U.S. Army Cavalry Scout.
His service spanned the "unforgiving moonscape" of the Mojave Desert to the front lines of Operation Desert Storm. From surviving a catastrophic seven-roll vehicle crash to witnessing the horrors of war and the loss of brothers-in-arms, he learned that tactical training could build endurance but could not shield the soul from the moral attrition of combat.
Returning home to serve on the "Thin Blue Line" as a narcotics officer and K-9 handler, Cunningham witnessed the raw brokenness of the human condition on the same streets where he was raised. However, his most significant "personal earthquake" came not from a storm or a battlefield, but from the death of his wife. Consumed by a "searing fury" at a God he felt had ignored his prayers, he resigned his badge and fled to the gray skies of Seattle, attempting to outrace his grief, his nightmares, and his calling.
Through a series of divine "extractions"-including a 6.8 magnitude earthquake and a miraculous encounter in a crowded sanctuary where he was told, "the Lord DOES know you"-Cunningham was forced to realize that his self-reliance was nothing more than dust. The book reaches its emotional peak as he returns to Oklahoma to care for his dying father, finally finding a profound reconciliation and trading his heavy rucksack for an unshakable foundation in Christ.
Why This Story is Distinct: - The "Scout" Perspective on Faith: Cunningham approaches spirituality not as religious rules, but as a tactical requirement for survival.
- Unfiltered Honesty: This account avoids polished platitudes, offering a raw look at PTSD, suicidal ideation, and the "numbness" required to survive the streets and the desert.
- The Power of "Red Dirt" Roots: The Wichita Mountains and the red Oklahoma soil serve as a "heartland" backdrop for a quintessentially American saga of service and redemption.
After the Storms is more than a memoir; it is a sentinel's invitation to anyone exhausted by hiking a heavy trail alone to find a peace that surpasses the noise of the storm.
About the Author :
Born the "caboose" of eight children in the heart of Southwestern Oklahoma into abject poverty and an alcoholic father, S. E. Cunningham's life has been defined by the rugged landscapes of the Wichita Mountains and a calling to protect. A veteran 19D Cavalry Scout and former law enforcement officer, he has spent decades operating in the "dead spaces" of the world-from the deserts of Iraq to the front lines of law enforcement.After a series of profound personal losses and a wilderness journey that took him far from his roots, he experienced a radical spiritual awakening that brought him back to his true Foundation. Today, he writes to encourage others to lay down their rusted armor and embrace the life they were fashioned for before the world touched them. He lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with his wife, Rebekah.
