Soldier Recognition

How many of you have family or friends serving in the military and are, or have been stationed overseas recently, especially in a volatile region? Tell us about them.

I have a nephew, a captain in the Army, stationed currently in the mountain region of Afghanistan - not a safe place to be. He previously spent a year in Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of the war. He expects to be over there now for 18 months minimum. He has a wife and two young boys living in Germany where he was previously deployed waiting for him. He just turned 29 this week, my wife mailed him his favorite molasses cookies for his birthday.

Comments

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  • Thanks for starting this thread Ray, it brings the war into a different light when we hear/read the stories of our warfighters. I had two nephews deployed for 15 months in Iraq, including time at Abu Grahib (sp?) prison (after the ugliness). Their entire Reserve unit was activated but thankfully they are home now.
  • I want to recognize Dean Perez, our local SHRM chapter President, who left his job and family to serve in Afghanistan for almost 3 years.

    Dean is National Guard and was called up about a year after our chapter was formed. Losing his leadership and passion was a blow to our chapter but we pressed on. As a way of honoring him, others stepped up to continue the chapter and we have increased membership each of the past three years.

    During his service, we sent Dean a crate of candy to give to children that he met. He was always touched by the warmth of the Afghani children who wanted to talk with him.

    Dean just returned from his tour of service. He is back with his wife and children. He has also returned to his job and we hope he will again resume leadership of our chapter in the near future.


  • Great thread, Ray!!!

    My best friend is currently serving in the US Army as an artillery specialist in Baghdad...not the safest place to be. I sometimes cringe at the stories he tells me, and it really hurts the morale of the troops over there that the media never present the stories of the good deeds our troops accomplish.

    Prior to that, my father was a colonel in the USAF and flew in Desert Storm, and my brother will commission into the USAF in May, and go on to attend nav school. I'm very proud of him!
  • Great thread Ray!!!

    My daughter's brother-in-law recently returned from Iraq. He was there for about 15 months. We are hoping he won't get called again, but you never know.

    One of my neice's best friends is on his 3rd tour in Iraq. He does security for the big-wigs.

    The troops all love to hear from us and hear that we love and support them. Even if you don't know anyone there, search your local area and you are sure to find a group that is sending things to help them out. You can show your support by helping them to supply and ship items over there.

    GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!


    Nae

  • For all of our service men and women out there, I can only pray for their safety and continue to hope that the U.S. military understands the need for on-going counselling for these individuals, recognition of their good deeds and bravery, and a responsibility to see that they can once again function in our society.

    My dad is a Vietnam vet and regardless of how you may feel about that war or this, these individuals deserve respect, especially when they return home. I hope that we as a country have learned from the disasterous effects of our past actions.

    God Bless America! Land of the free, and home of the brave!
  • I do not personally have any relatives over in Iraq or Afghanistan but I did have a brother-in-law serve in operation Desert Storm, it was a very scary time for the family.
    I have a friend at work and her son is in Iraq. They keep in contact daily by email or text messages. He sends pictures once and a while. He is 20 years old. Just a baby in my eyes. My friend tries to stay very strong, but some days it gets to her.
  • My son, a Navy SEAL, has been to Iraq three times and will be going back in December. He received the Bronze Star for his service during his second tour. His wife is also in the military. She is in Naval Intelligence and they both are Naval Academy graduates. They have a 20-month old daughter and are expecting a son any day now.

    I continually pray for all our servicemen and women in harm's way.
  • Bonnie, please keep us updated on your son when he returns to Iraq.
  • Just came across this post today and also got the short film below today as well...so I thought I should share.
    Turn on the volume and watch until the end. I always pray for those who fight to keep us safe and free.

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    If you can't copy and paste...go to you tube and search for Lizzie Palmer. She is apparently a 15 year old that put this together. AWESOME!




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