I hope this post finds you doing well. Today we honor all military veterans, past and present. This day is especially dear to my heart because of my strong military connections.
My father served 22 years with the U.S. Navy and is a Vietnam veteran. My husband, Prevo, is presently serving active duty in the U.S. Army National Guard and is an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. My two favorite men on the face of this earth know about sacrifice. They know about Duty, Honor, Country.
Today I am honoring all of those who served and fought for their country. Spoken by General Douglas MacArthur at his farewell speech, "Duty," "Honor," "Country" - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be".
When Prevo was deployed to Iraq in 2005-2006, his unit was given the task of Route Clearance. For those that do not know what this means, his unit was responsible for clearing routes of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's). Talk about being on pins and needles every minute of the day until I heard from him.
Prevo has many nicknames and one of which is Shrek. He took a Shrek figure with him to Iraq and pretty much carried him everywhere he went as his good luck charm.
“The training a soldier receives before leaving home can never compare to the experience learned in battle but it helps to increase the chances that the soldier makes it back home.” ~ Prevo Rodgers, Jr.
While in Iraq, Prevo had a favorite place to go to unwind, write music and sing songs that reminded him of home. Before he left for Iraq, we went to the local bar in town to gather with all of our friends and members of our community. We took several shirts for people to write well wishes for Prevo. He is pictured above on that rooftop in Iraq, wearing a shirt signed by many who attending the gathering.
May we always remember the fallen and continue to pray for those in harms way. Take some time today to honor all veterans, past and present. They have sacrificed all to provide the umbrella of freedom we sometimes take for granted.
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy
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