Support our Troops!

I once heard a Soldier say “ I am not scared of dying I am scared of what it will do to my friends and family.” I am the proud wife of a Soldier is recently back from his third combat tour. I want to share with you what it is like to be the wife of a deployed Soldier. To explain to you why I cry when I hear the National Anthem. Or why I swell with pride and tears when I say the Pledge of Allegiance. Or why, when I watch the news, I cry for every single fallen Soldier as if they were my very own Soldier. We are a huge modern family, spread out over the states and now countries. We are not bound by blood; we are bound by love. On April 16, 2002, we received a phone call from New York – one of our family members had died the day before. Briann Craig , 27 years old, died as a result of an explosion during a clearing operation, confiscating large caliber rockets from former Taliban dump sites in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Also killed were Staff Sergeant Justin Galewski, Sergeant Jamie Maugen and Sergeant First Class Daniel Romero. These Soldiers went out every day, found the old bombs and rockets and took them to a safe place to detonate them so they would not explode and hurt others. In May of 2002, my husband and I flew to Washington, D.C., for Memorial Day. Walking into Arlington National Cemetery, I can not begin to describe the flood of emotion that welled through my body. Quietly we stood at section 60, site 7756, looking down at the four names on the markers. Brian, Jamie, Daniel and Justin. All four men were buried on one site. The explosion was too large to distinguish between the bodies. Tomorrow when you wake up and go throughout your day, you may forget me. You may forget some of what I have said today. What I hope and pray is that you will not forget Staff Sergeant Brian Craig. I hope that you tell his story often and with such emotion that you feel as if you too lost a family member in that explosion on April 15, 2002. Because then, I will know that I brought you into my world. These Soldiers are fighting for you, for me, and for the lives of every single family in the United States of America. And while they fight, their families are here fighting for them – staying strong so they are able to focus on their job. We can not all serve, but we can all support. Thank you for the support you’ve given the military and our families. God Bless America, God Bless you all, and God Bless our Troops and their Families.