Having two kids serving our country is both a matter of great pride and also of great worry and stress.
Shayne our oldest son is serving in the United States Army with the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. He is currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and is getting ready to deployed to Iraq for the second time. We are very very proud of Shayne and all of the soldiers that serve with him. When he is deployed though, life around here becomes very stressful worrying if he is alright and staying safe. It is amazing when I talk to Shayne on the phone. It seems that it was not very long ago that he was a kid playing little league and getting into trouble with his fast driving. Now when I talk to him I hear the voice of a brave young man, tactically-smart and battle-savvy. Here is a video tribute to the men of of the 3dACR I found on YouTube it says more than I can write.
And here is one that has music Shayne would probably like more:
Our daughter Ashton is currently serving in the United States Air Force with the 28th Medical Group. She is stationed at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota. I got to take Ashton to Ellsworth a few weeks ago. I had a lot of fun driving out there with her and seeing the sights. Ashton is currently a Medic, but has her sights planned on finishing her degree in nursing. Ashton always has had a plan. Once again I will let a video do the talking. I bet FedEx only wishes they could deliver the goods like these guys! ;)
Our son Johnny works as a Correctional Officer at the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department. There is a lot to be said about this job when you consider that when you go to work you are always locked in with the bad guys and greatly outnumbered. It is a job that is almost always underrated as well as underpaid. It takes a special kind of person to be able to cope with the stress this type of job generates.
So yeah, we are proud of these kids. We are also proud of all of the other children who are serving their country be it in the military or the public service sector. Everyone is someone's child. Anyone's child who can take one of these type jobs is a special child indeed and worthy of mine and your respect. So I guess my message is this; If you are one of those people who like to run our troops and police down and think you could do a better job, stop and think for a minute. If you could do the job better, why aren't you doing it? And if you like to loudly voice your opinion of how bad things are and how our troops and police are all vicious, cruel, and heartless, do not be offended if someone introduces your face to their fist or worse. You may have angered a proud parent.
I am not going to become a constant video-poster but maybe this gentleman can explain why we are doing what we are in Iraq.
