Hi All,
I’ve done away with using ‘Installment’ in the title of these stories as it seems a little cumbersome.
Here is a timely story Dad wrote about a soldier on leave from duty in Iraq. While celebrating the birth of our nation, we should also celebrate the men and women who keep our nation safe from others who want to harm or destroy our American way of life. The man in this story is someone who would be celebrating the 4th of July with his family or friends if he wasn’t working hard to keep his family and friends safe so they can celebrate this occasion without worrying about anything more troublesome than if your neighbor is going to set the neighborhood on fire with his fireworks. Or, if your dog will be permanently traumatized by all the noise.
So, let’s remember our heroes who make this celebration possible, this weekend, along with our country’s founding father’s contribution, of course.
I would personally like to thank my daughter, Army Sgt. Jennifer Huffman and her husband, Army Sgt. Jacob Huffman (and their 2 yr. old daughter, my granddaughter, Isabella Huffman) for their sacrifice and dedication to preserving mine, and everyone in the United States of America’s life, rights and liberty’s . . . That’s a lot! We’re proud of you!
HAPPY 4th of JULY, Everyone!!!
David T
“Thank You, Corporal Jason Connor”
By Don Tschirhart
Excerpted from the unpublished book “It’s a Wonderful World: A Retired Reporter Looks At Life“
My wife, Margie, and I were returning to the Flint Bishop International Airport from an out-of-town vacation on Monday, Nov. 22.
We sat across the aisle in the small Saab twin-engine propjet plane from a handsome young guy in a camouflage suit.
I asked, “Army?” He said, “Yeah! Iraq.” I said, “Leave?” His was a happy smile as he said, “Two weeks. I’m from Lapeer.”
A few more questions and I learned that T/4 (Corporal) Jason Connor was on his way home for two-weeks leave with his Metamora family.
A 2002 graduate of Lapeer West High School, Jason has spent the last 10 months in Iraq as a mechanic on artillery. He has about 18 months more to serve in the Army.
When his leave ends he returns to Iraq.
I refused to give into my curiosity about conditions he saw in Iraq but did show him a story in that day’s USA Today about a Marine sergeant saving his fire team by grabbing a grenade thrown by an insurgent and cradling it with his body.
“He was a great man,” Jason said quietly, and shook his head slowly as he recalled the horrors he had experienced in that combat zone.
He added, “I learned a lot in Iraq, a lot about life and myself.” He moved his head up and down, “Yes,” when I suggested he had “growed up.”
As the small plane began its final descent into Flint Bishop I asked, “You must be anxious to be home?” He smiled: “You bet.” I could see him squirm in his seat as he contemplated a greeting from his family. “I only hope my bags arrived with me.”
As I got up from my seat I reached over, shook his hand and said, “Jason. All of us are very proud of you and rest of the guys there. Thank you for what you are doing.”
Margie and I got off the plane first. As we walked up the ramp Jason’s family waited with hand-printed signs and shouting, “Welcome, Jason! Welcome home!”
Tears clouded my eyes and I choked as I pointed to the rear and said, “He’s right behind me.”
I’ve witnessed a lot of Americana in my three-score and nearly 17 years of life.
Watching a proud American mom, her face wet with tears of joy, running into Jason’s arms, kissing him and hugging him as the rest of his family waited their turn to welcome him home, got to me.
I spoke with an older man who may have been Jason’s grandfather and told him I was lucky enough to have sat across the aisle from Jason.
There were tears in his eyes and his face was smiling as he replied, “Jason is a special young man.”
Jason didn’t have to tell me, but I’m sure he and all of our servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan would rather not be in Iraq. There are much better places to spend his Army career — Germany or stateside, for instance.
I believe, and surveys show the vast majority of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan understand they are doing the world a great service.
These young people seem to know that they have “thrown out” evil people.
I mean evil in the human sense that Hitler, Stalin and Tojo and most recently, bin Ladin and Saddam Hussein are certainly as evil as you can get.
In this holiday season we Americans should give thanks to our service people who are fighting in awful places so that we in the United States and some ungrateful European countries do not have to fight near our homes in the future.
We should keep those wonderful men and women in our daily prayers asking God to keep them safe and to end the bloodshed they are experiencing.
And in this Holiday Season why don’t we in our snug Lapeer County homes show our thanks by sending greeting cards with money orders to someone you know in Iraq or Afghanistan that can be used in PX stores.
When I got up to leave the plane, I reached down for Jason’s hand, thanked him and told him America backed what he was doing.
This holiday season let’s give thanks to Lapeer County’s service-person heroes like Jason Connor.
May God bless them all.
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