Nine eleven in the year 2001 was a surreal day for most of us. I was watching The Today Show, as the horrors unfolded before my eyes.
My father served with the Army and later with the Air Force. He is an Army Veteran who served during the Vietnam Conflict with the 173rd Airborne, and later retired from the Air Force.
My father is my hero…I love ya Papa!
I am an Army Veteran and support our Army as a Helicopter Maintenance Manager. It is my job to ensure the airworthiness of our Army’s helicopters, in order to ensure the safety of our troops during transport.
My son, Ryan, is an Army Ranger with the 2nd Battalion, stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA. Although he is no longer a Private, his nickname is still Private Ryan!
Private Ryan has deployed three times and will be deploying to Afghanistan again later this year. His job is to hunt down and capture those that want to take the freedoms away from every American.
My son is my hero…I love ya Private Ryan!
With freedom comes great sacrifice, to think otherwise would be pure ignorance. I am immensely proud of my families military heritage and patriotism. Though the military is not for everyone, when we as a Nation loose sight of the fact that it is through those individuals sacrifice that allows us to enjoy our freedoms,…well, that will be the beginning of the end.
If you know someone who is serving with our Military, thank them…better yet, give them a BIG hug and tell them you understand and appreciate what they do for us.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
I Internet hug you and your dad and your son! Thank you – thank you so much – for your service, bravery, and protection. God bless each of you. I will keep your son in my prayers – that he will stay safe.
.-= amy2boys´s last blog ..In Memory =-.
Thank you so much for sharing this and a good reminder for today. Regardless of politics we should ALWAYS think highly of our soldiers, thank them when we see them and remember those that are lost to us. My father served in Vietnam as well. I carry his dog tags with me since the day he died. It is comforting to me and it helps me to remember to be strong. Every soldier deserves a hero’s welcome when they return and the ones that lose their lives deserve memorials that rival the ones the “celebrities” receive. I thank you for your service and your son as well.
Hugs to you and your family for serving this great country of ours! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
.-= OneCowgirl´s last blog ..Country Living at Its Finest =-.
Virtual hugs from our family to yours! My FIL was in the Navy and at Pearl Harbor during the attack. He’s still going strong at 88! Bless you, your papa and your son. Thank you!!
8 years ago today I was also watching the Today Show when everything transpired. “OMG” was all I could say for hours. Nope, we’ll never forget. -Tammy
.-= Tammy´s last blog ..Thursday Walkabout ~ September =-.
HEY cowboy the icecream party is coming up! send me an email through my blog and I will get you the info, I loved this post, but I cried again ha! thanks for your service and sacrifice tell your boy we are praying for him!!!
.-= Jana´s last blog ..Nine Eleven…. =-.
God Bless Private Ryan and all the others serving our country. What amazing men and women. My BIL just came back from a year in Afghanistan. Really scary what goes on over there. My God watch over all of them.
.-= Mikey´s last blog ..Just a bunch of mish mash =-.
Sending love and support from across the seas in Australia. May there one day exist a world where peace and tolerance prevail so that no more young men and women need to sacrifice their lives in our defence or the defence of others.
.-= Colleen´s last blog ..Lost at Sea =-.
Well I’d like to hug all of your family!!! Thank you all for your service for our country and our freedom!! Without people and families like yours we wouldn’t enjoy our lives the way we do.
So THANK YOU again for your hard work and dedication for all of us and our Country!!!
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Friday Skywatch =-.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and the encouragement! This is such a great post. To say Thank you for you and your families sacrafices just doesn’t seem like enough.
Your picutures are great!
A huge Salute to your Dad, Yourself and Private Ryan!
And we must not ever forget!!!
Great Pictures! Thank you guys for all of your hard work and dedication.
.-= Jen´s last blog .. =-.
Thank you and a hug seems so insignificant for what has been done for our freedom.
My prayers are with you and your son during his service.
I am sending your son a HUGE CUDDLE. He is so brave. What a wonderful son you have. Thank him for us. Tell him we cannot begin to understand what he goes through over there, and that we can never thank him enough, but that we are forever in his debt.
.-= aussiechic´s last blog ..Royally Soaked…. =-.
Had to check this out as a blubbie of Jana’s. Moving blog. The mere words “thank you” never seem enough to offer up for all the service and sacrifice of the great heros of our military. But thank you.
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Things I didn’t get done this weekend… =-.
Darn, I think my dyslexia is kicking in. Meant to say bluddie. (blog buddie) b’s, d’s….who can tell????!!!!!
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Things I didn’t get done this weekend… =-.
You’re awesome and so is your family.
.-= HoustonGurly´s last blog ..I will never forget. =-.
Thank you to you and your family!
Many thanks to your whole family. Stay safe Private Ryan.
.-= greyhorsematters´s last blog ..Autumn =-.
That was a really simply-stated yet moving post (and I LOVED your pictures.) You should be very proud of your military heritage and please know that I and those I love are very grateful for your sacrifices and those of the ones before you.
P.S. Thanks for the visit and reply on my blog…it is truly appreciated!
Mindy
http://www.thesuburbanlife.com
.-= Mindy@thesuburbanlife´s last blog ..Recipe of the Week – Kentucky Butter Cake =-.
Very nice, blog post. My husband was in the Airforce, my nephew is in the Marines, and my stepdad was in the vietnam war!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Boring!!! =-.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your families sacrifices have insured the future of my children. May the Lord God richly bless and keep you!
My husband chuckled over your comment on “The Gore Score”. Stitches are out and he still thinks it was probably a waste of time!
Blessing~
P.
.-= Paula Yaussi´s last blog ..Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching, Stuffy Head, Fever So You Can Rest Medicine? =-.
Thanks to you, your father and your son for their service! That is an awesome legacy. My hubby is a retired Marine GySgt. Went “over there” twice. Thanks for posting somethng for us all to think on and never forget.
.-= Heart of a Cowgirl´s last blog ..Copper Crazy =-.
What a wonderful family! Your Ryan is a doll…Thanks for dropping by my blog today and leaving a kind comment!
My Hubby was in the Air Force and served in Viet Nam as well.
Have a great day and know I’ll be praying for your “Private Ryan’s” safty, always!
.-= Donna (Texas)´s last blog ..99 Barrels… =-.
PS- I’ll be following you on Twitter…!
.-= Donna (Texas)´s last blog ..99 Barrels… =-.
Thank you all for your wonderful and supportive comments!
Good thoughts, wishes and prayers for you and your family. A big THANK YOU for Ryans service.
I enjoyed seeing the picture of C130 7773. It has been a long time since I crewed on her as a loadmaster when I was stationed in Japan in the mid 80′s. She didn’t have her Vietnam colors anymore though.
Ron “Cowboy” Iniguez, USAF(ret)
C130 Instructor Loadmaster
1984-2004
Welcome Ron, and Right On! So you flew on the same bird as my father, that’s very cool. I’ll have to ask my father what year and place that was taken. We were in Okinawa mid 70′s, he could be at a lay over in Alaska or something…I’ll definitely check it out. Glad you stopped by.
My dad was also in the Army and served two back to back terms in Vietman. He hardly ever talked about what happened while he was there. He was in the special forces and went behind enemy lines on every mission. My dad is one of the many men who rescued American POW’s. It wasn’t until about a month after he passed away that I found this out. I was going through his things with my mom, brother and sister and found a journal he had written during AA. I used to wonder why he would “come up fighting” when I had to wake him up to go to work when I was younger…it was after I read what he wrote that I understood.
Thank you, your dad, Ryan and everyone who defends our freedom…whether it was in the past, in the present or in the future.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!! (((((BIG HUGS)))))