Monday, November 2, 2009

Salute to our Soldiers


On this special day we have aside to remember and thank the men and women who have fought for our country I have two special men I would like to thank.
First, my Dad, M/Sgt John W Williams who enlisted as a young man just barely out of his teens to fight for our country in World War II. As a career Army soldier he did two tours in Korea and one in Vietnam. When assigned to a second tour of Vietnam he chose to retire. He said he couldn't write one more letter to grieving parents to tell them their 19 year old son was gone. It is sometimes hard to believe that one man would fight in three wars for his country. He was proud to serve his country and truly believed in what he did. My Dad died of cancer several years ago but I hope he knew that I appreciated all the years he choose to defend our country.
Second, my brother CW3 John W Williams who was only 19 when he choose a military career. My brother was a helicopter pilot and proud to serve his country. He crashed his helicopter while on tour in Vietnam and survived but never got over losing his co-pilot.
Upon returning to the states my brother became a member of a special group that provided helicopters for special operations called the Night Stalkers. On September 21, 1981 he was in a troop plane that was practicing night landings in preparation for a covert operation. The plane crashed in the mountains of Colorado and my brother was one of the nine men who did not survive the crash. He was only 32 and left behind a daughter and two sons.
So to all the men and women out there who have chosen to protect our great country a very heart felt thank you.

9 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Thank you for sharing, Stella. A poignant reminder of how much our Veterans (and their families) have sacrificed.

Mimi said...

HI Stella!!
So happy to comment on your Post!!! I too am very patriotic and brought my children to be, if we see Servicemen/Women in Uniform, I always say THANK YOU, I ahve often offered at airports to buy their lunch as I know these enlisted service personnel so not make alot of money. I'm so Proud of your family's dedication to our GREAT Country and for the services they performed for us, I'm so SORRY about your Brother, Time stands still when we think of all the lost servicemen/women. I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be to lose a loved one in a war situation.
God Bless you
IN GOD WE TRUST
hugs,
jamie

Chatty Crone said...

Thank you for sharing Stella and thank you to you and your family. My husband is a veteran too.

Anonymous said...

Hi Stella! This was a wonderful post.
God bless all of our service men and women and your dear family!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Chatty Crone said...

Thinking of that tragedy at Foot Hood today too.

Eileen said...

Touching reminder of the many sacrifices made for our country, for our freedoms and our way of life.
Thank you for sharing your story.

And God Bless these good men and women who sacrifice life, limb, and sanity for the good of others.
All the best,
Eileen

donna said...

Oh, Stella. God bless your dad and brother and all of our military and their families. My grandson's second grade class has been learning about our Veterans and doing projects to honor them.

Jean Tuthill said...

May God bless all these brave men and women who put themselves in harms way for the good of our country and our people. Thanks for the tribute, these people deserve to be recognized every day for their sacrifices.

Debra Howard said...

Stella, thank you so very much for sharing this with us. The sacrifices that your family and many others have given us is what brings this country freedom and so many other things. Please know we are grateful and praying for all those laying it on the line for their country.
Debbie