Fate Gave Me Wings

Author Interview with Danny Tobias Francuz

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Book Description

Fate Gave Me Wings is the personal story of Danny Tobias Francuz, a former German soldier whose twelve years of military service included a deployment to Kunduz, Afghanistan. During three intense months, he experienced eleven firefights and was confronted with violence, fear, hatred, injury, and the reality of taking and saving lives.

Returning home did not mean leaving those experiences behind. Danny had to find a way to understand what he had lived through, accept help, and rediscover himself. Writing became part of that journey.

Although rooted in military experience, Fate Gave Me Wings is ultimately a story about being human – about struggle, faith, resilience, accepting help, and finding a way forward. It is written not only for soldiers and veterans, but for anyone facing challenges of their own.

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Tell us about your book.

During my deployment as a medical sergeant in Kunduz, Afghanistan, I experienced three months that included eleven firefights. I witnessed and experienced many things there, including emotions such as hatred and the reality of violence and killing. This was especially difficult for me because I had always been someone who wanted to help people and protect lives.

Bringing those experiences back into normal life was not easy. I eventually sought the help I needed, and a psychologist supported me through that process.

I began writing this book primarily as a way to help myself. But Fate Gave Me Wings became more than that. I believe it can also help others – if they are willing to join me on this journey through the difficult moments, the changes they caused, and the path forward.

What leadership problem or gap does this book address?

This is not a traditional leadership book. But one of the gaps it addresses is something that is sometimes overlooked in military leadership: the person behind the uniform.

Soldiers are trained to function under pressure, make decisions, and carry out their mission. But experiences do not simply disappear when the mission is over. Leadership also means recognizing when someone is struggling, creating an environment where asking for help is not seen as weakness, and understanding that even strong people can reach a point where they need support.

My own experience taught me that seeking help takes strength. I hope my story encourages leaders to look beyond rank and performance and remember the human being standing in front of them.

How did your military or professional experience shape this work?

My military experience taught me that we are never truly alone if we believe. I am not a regular churchgoer, but I know what I was allowed to experience in Afghanistan.

In the middle of one of the worst firefights, I experienced a sense of peace and calm that is difficult to put into words. At a moment surrounded by violence, I somehow felt that, in the end, everything could be all right.

Those experiences changed me. They also reignited a creativity I had carried with me since childhood. Looking at my life today, through my work in the fire and rescue service and everything I do beyond it, helping people has never brought me as much fulfillment as it does now.

What historical figure, event, or book most influenced your thinking?

The event that influenced my thinking most was the birth of my first daughter. Becoming a father completely changed my life. It gave me a new perspective and showed me that, even during difficult times, life is worth fighting for. From that moment on, I was no longer responsible only for myself. There was someone who needed me, and that gave me a new kind of strength and purpose.

If a junior officer or enlisted leader could take only one lesson from your book, what would you want it to be?

If there is one lesson I would want a young military leader to take from my book, it is this: Never forget the person behind the uniform.

Soldiers are expected to function, make decisions, follow orders, and remain strong under pressure. But rank, responsibility, and uniform do not make us less human.

A good leader should recognize when someone is struggling and create an environment where asking for help is not considered weakness. Sometimes real strength is having the courage to admit that you cannot carry everything alone.

Why is reading important for today’s military professional?

Reading allows us to learn from experiences we have never lived ourselves. In the military, we prepare for situations that we hope will never happen, but when they do, there may be very little time to think.

Books give us access to the experiences, mistakes, decisions, and perspectives of others. They can prepare us not only professionally, but also mentally and emotionally.

And sometimes a book can do something even more important: show us that someone else has experienced feelings similar to our own and that we are not alone.

What book would you recommend to someone preparing for increased responsibility?

I would recommend Fate Gave Me Wings. Not simply because I wrote it, but because I believe good leadership begins with understanding yourself.

If you are at peace with yourself, understand your own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses, you are better prepared to lead others and make difficult decisions. Before we can take responsibility for others, we also have to learn how to take responsibility for ourselves.

What do you hope this book contributes to the broader military community?

I hope the book contributes to stronger camaraderie and reminds us to look out for one another. A unit is only as strong as the people within it, and when one of us is struggling, we should not leave that person behind.

True camaraderie means recognizing when someone needs support, standing beside them, and helping them regain their strength. In the end, we become stronger together.

Is there one short story from your book you would like to share?

During a firefight near Isakehl in Afghanistan, we came under heavy fire and took cover along an irrigation ditch. Armored vehicles behind us deployed smoke so that we could gradually withdraw.

As the smoke cleared, I saw a Taliban fighter about a kilometer away firing a rocket in our direction. At that moment, I looked toward the sky and saw the woman who would later become my wife. Without moving her lips, she told me, “Do not worry. Nothing will happen to you.” Then I saw an angel come down, spread its wings, and protect me.

When the wings opened again, I saw my comrade, who was more seriously wounded than I was. I treated him first, and only afterward were my own wounds taken care of. Three rockets were fired toward us, and we survived.

When I returned to Germany, the woman who was still just a close friend at the time told me that she had suddenly had a terrible feeling about me that day and had sent me her guardian angel. She did not know what I had experienced in Afghanistan.

That moment has stayed with me ever since.

What else do you want your readers to know?

Never give up on yourself. Life can take you through moments you never expected and sometimes never wanted. But even the darkest experiences can become part of something meaningful.

Accept help when you need it, help others when you can, and never stop believing that another chapter is still waiting to be written. Life is far too beautiful to give up on it.

Top 5 books every military professional should read:

I have to be honest: I have never been someone who reads a large number of military books. I have always relied strongly on my own experiences, observations, and strengths. One military book that did stay with me was Vier Tage im November: Mein Kampfeinsatz in Afghanistan by Johannes Clair. Rather than listing five books I cannot genuinely recommend, I prefer to recommend the one I actually know.

One book you gift often:

I don’t often give books as gifts, but one book that has stayed with me since childhood is The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg. I read it over and over again as a child, and it reminds me of the imagination and creativity I had back then – something I later rediscovered through writing.

Fate Gave Me Wings – available on Amazon and other online bookseller

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Author Bio:

Danny Tobias Francuz is a German author, former soldier, firefighter, paramedic, and first-aid instructor. He served twelve years in the German Armed Forces, including a deployment to Kunduz, Afghanistan. His experiences there profoundly changed his life and ultimately became part of the inspiration for Fate Gave Me Wings.

Today, Danny works in fire and rescue services in Germany and teaches first aid. Through his project dannyhilft, his first-aid app, and his educational work, he continues to pursue what has become one of the central themes of his life: helping people.

Website: https://www.dannyhilft.de

YouTube/Facebook/Instagram: dannyhilft

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