Hero Stories for October 2008

Memo to friends and Family Sorry if I have been remiss in not letting all know how things are going.  I don’t want to fill your email box with more email to read and large picture files to download.  So, I though I’d just send a short little summary of the first two months in Diyala Province, Iraq. Diyala is called a microcosm of Iraq, because it has Sunni, Shia and Kurds all living in the province.  Therefore, this has really been one of the last places to really get settled down, and I’m s...

I want to thank you for my new custom Soldier Bracelets. They look great and fit perfectly. My longtime friend, Aaron Mitchell is in the Army and currently in Iraq. I ordered your bracelets for his parents, his siter and for me. They were all pretty thrilled to get them and we’ve all vowed to wear them till he comes home. We’re thinking of making a chain of all the bracelets for him when he gets home. I get to talk to email him once in a while and told him about us all wearing his name on our...

Grieving And I was having to bear the unbearable.  If I must bear it, I would bear it -- find the whole meaning of it, taste the whole of it....  I would not run away from grief; I would not try to hold on to it when -- if, unbelievably -- it passed. - Sheldon Vanauken I would like to share below the experience of the greatest loss of my life, in the hopes that it may, in some way, help others with their suffering.  While I truly understand that divorce is a different kind of loss than death,...

The most excruciating pain imaginable is the loss of your son or daughter in war. No one can understand this other than a other Gold Star Families. I would like to thank you so much for this gift it means a lot to me. Thank you for a way to Honor the death of my son Cpl Adam Galvez USMC WIA 07-29-06 KIA 08-20

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SPC Dane R. Balcon was born on 27 April 1988, at Luke AFB, Arizona. In 2007, he enlisted in the Army as a Fire Support Specialist, following graduation from Sand Creek High School. He attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training with 2nd Platoon, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 40th  Field Artillery Regiment, at Fort Sill, OK. Upon graduation from AIT, SPC Balcon received his first assignment to 3rd Squadron 8th Cavalry Regt., 1st Cavalry Division, in Fort Hood, TX.  He deployed to ...

Dear Family, Friends, Marines and shipmates Today is the 25th Anniversary and Remembrance of the BLT 1/8 Command Operations Center &amp; Barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon and this horrific event will be recognized by a Ceremony of Remembrance at the Beirut Memorial at Camp Johnson, NC. The ceremony will commence at 10:30 AM with the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Jim Conway, as the Guest Speaker.  Former Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Al Gray, will also be present and addr...

Staff Sgt. Brian P. Ha

My son, SSG Ryan E. Haupt, was killed on October 17, 2006, while escorting a convoy in Baqubah, Iraq.  He had previous close calls before this, and we thought he had made it.  His tour was over and he was scheduled to be on his way home 3 days later.  He was actually escorting his units equipment when his humvee hit an IED.  I hadn't seen Ryan since the summer of 2005.  He was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, CO.  He left for Iraq at the end of November 2005.  He was part of an ...

About my son, Mike Mike was a compassionate, fun-loving, friendly young man. He loved to try to make people laugh when situations were bad. His friends called him Mikey. We have video footage of Mike singing classic rock and roll over the platoon vehicle’s loudspeaker. His best friend, Wes, told me later that on that day, not only did the squad find his performance hilarious, but also there were probably 50 Iraqi children around the vehicle laughing and dancing to his songs. Wes added, “It wa...