Author’s commentary
Based on a true story!
This was a commissioned Franky Banky comic strip poster I created for Captain James Lang, co-founder of Defence Stammering Network which supports, inspires, and champions people who stutter in the UK Armed Forces and Defence Civil Service.
James certainly proved that recruitment officer wrong! Not only had his stutter not gotten in the way, James received top honours in a lot of areas! Side note: with military personnel like that, I’m glad Canada and the UK are allies.
In coming up with the plot for a Franky Banky comic strip to tell James’ story, I thought of a ceremony where Franky Banky keeps getting one medal after the next. In front of the recruiter’s presence.
My knowledge of the UK Armed Forces is limited so I had a lot of fun researching (and asking James a lot of questions) the camo, colours, which ranking officer would be giving the medals, and which symbols would be sown on their uniforms. The research part of a project is just as fun as drawing the comic!
Defiinitely check out the Defence Stammering Network (or the Military Stuttering Network if you live in the US) if you are in or planning to enter the UK (or US) armed forces.
More about stuttering and the military
I’ve talked about stuttering in the military on the Stuttering is Cool podcast. Check out my episode #111 with Captain Jody Fuller entitled Stuttering in the military and doing comedy.
I also asked a friend to write a guest blog post about how we can deal with our stuttering like those who are in high risk situations such as the military. Check out Stuttering stress and arousal: developing a warrior colour code.
April 14, 2021
More Franky Banky in
Stuttering is Cool: A Guide to Stuttering in a Fast-Talking World!
Tips and comics about reducing fears towards stuttering in everyday situations such as job interviews, dating, and more! Learn more on the Stuttering is Cool website.