six_gun
05-20-2005, 08:19 AM
You see them in the airports, they have the desert camo on and either have a desert camo daypack or green duffel bag or both. You know they are either going to or coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan. If you are like me you see them and wonder what they are like, where they are from, who is waiting for them at home, and what sacrifices they have made for you.
I will tell you about one of them. We call him GI Joe because his name is Joe and he is a GI. Joe joined the Idaho Army Guard when he was a senior in high school and became a MP fro the 116th Cav Brigade. You might say it was in his blood. One of his grandpas fought in WWII in the European theater , to other fought in the Pacific, then went on to fight in Korea and Viet Nam. His dad was in the Air Force during the Viet Nam War and his uncle was a Marine on the ground in Viet Nam. His older brother is also in the Idaho National Guard but has not been deployed, His brother-in-law is an officer in the Coast Guard.
Joe spent his two years of inactive service, serving on a mission for his church, in Belgium. He was there on September 11, 2001. He attended college at BYU Idaho and there met his wife, which he married in December of 2003. He has been married for 18 months but only spent 6 months with his new wife. His tour in the Idaho Guard would have been up in October, 2004, but the 116th was called up in June of 2004, 6 months after he was married. He would have graduated from college this spring.
Joes job in Iraq, is escorting convoys. He drives the lead vehicle. They have been attacked only once, so far. Since he is religious and knows how to pray, the guys in his outfit always ask him to say a prayer, before every mission. He attends a church service every Sunday. On the day of the election in Iraq, they had a church service on the roof of the Police Academy in Kirkuk, Iraq. He was up there with a bunch of Iraquee Policemen with purple fingers.
We got a surprise visit from Joe this month. He wasn’t supposed to get leave, because of an administrative screw up, but he got to fill a slot that became vacant and just showed up in his mother’s grocery checkout line at WINCO, 2 weeks ago. She was so shocked she was speechless for 20 minutes. They had to replace her for awhile.
Joe said that when the troop plane landed in Dallas, they had two fire trucks shoot a water arch over the plane as it taxied to the terminal. When they got inside the terminal, there were hundreds of people lined up cheering them and handing out goodies and gifts. He said it really made him feel good.
We had a good visit for 2 weeks and then Joe got on the plane in Boise yesterday morning and flew back to Dallas, where he would catch a troop plane back to the middle east. He was dressed in his Desert Camo Uniform when we said our goodbyes.
He called us form Dallas and said that he went to a debriefing when he got to the airport and then went to get some lunch. A guy came up to him and said’ “ Soldier, have you had anything to eat yet?” Joe told him he was just going to get some. The guy took out his wallet and gave Joe a $20 and said lunch was on him.
After lunch Joe went into a book store to find something to read on the long flight ahead of him. Joe likes good books and found one for $21 and change. As he was paying for it the guy behind him said that his money was no good here and paid for the book.
As Joe’s dad. I would like to thank all of you people who go out of your way to help out these young men and women who are giving so much for us. We all owe most of what we take for granted, because of the sacrifices that have been made by our American soldiers.
It is people like the ones in Dallas, who are going out of their way to help these soldiers that make it all worth while and I want you to know that it is appreciated.
THANK YOU !
Sixgun
I will tell you about one of them. We call him GI Joe because his name is Joe and he is a GI. Joe joined the Idaho Army Guard when he was a senior in high school and became a MP fro the 116th Cav Brigade. You might say it was in his blood. One of his grandpas fought in WWII in the European theater , to other fought in the Pacific, then went on to fight in Korea and Viet Nam. His dad was in the Air Force during the Viet Nam War and his uncle was a Marine on the ground in Viet Nam. His older brother is also in the Idaho National Guard but has not been deployed, His brother-in-law is an officer in the Coast Guard.
Joe spent his two years of inactive service, serving on a mission for his church, in Belgium. He was there on September 11, 2001. He attended college at BYU Idaho and there met his wife, which he married in December of 2003. He has been married for 18 months but only spent 6 months with his new wife. His tour in the Idaho Guard would have been up in October, 2004, but the 116th was called up in June of 2004, 6 months after he was married. He would have graduated from college this spring.
Joes job in Iraq, is escorting convoys. He drives the lead vehicle. They have been attacked only once, so far. Since he is religious and knows how to pray, the guys in his outfit always ask him to say a prayer, before every mission. He attends a church service every Sunday. On the day of the election in Iraq, they had a church service on the roof of the Police Academy in Kirkuk, Iraq. He was up there with a bunch of Iraquee Policemen with purple fingers.
We got a surprise visit from Joe this month. He wasn’t supposed to get leave, because of an administrative screw up, but he got to fill a slot that became vacant and just showed up in his mother’s grocery checkout line at WINCO, 2 weeks ago. She was so shocked she was speechless for 20 minutes. They had to replace her for awhile.
Joe said that when the troop plane landed in Dallas, they had two fire trucks shoot a water arch over the plane as it taxied to the terminal. When they got inside the terminal, there were hundreds of people lined up cheering them and handing out goodies and gifts. He said it really made him feel good.
We had a good visit for 2 weeks and then Joe got on the plane in Boise yesterday morning and flew back to Dallas, where he would catch a troop plane back to the middle east. He was dressed in his Desert Camo Uniform when we said our goodbyes.
He called us form Dallas and said that he went to a debriefing when he got to the airport and then went to get some lunch. A guy came up to him and said’ “ Soldier, have you had anything to eat yet?” Joe told him he was just going to get some. The guy took out his wallet and gave Joe a $20 and said lunch was on him.
After lunch Joe went into a book store to find something to read on the long flight ahead of him. Joe likes good books and found one for $21 and change. As he was paying for it the guy behind him said that his money was no good here and paid for the book.
As Joe’s dad. I would like to thank all of you people who go out of your way to help out these young men and women who are giving so much for us. We all owe most of what we take for granted, because of the sacrifices that have been made by our American soldiers.
It is people like the ones in Dallas, who are going out of their way to help these soldiers that make it all worth while and I want you to know that it is appreciated.
THANK YOU !
Sixgun