Dear Rita,
I am truly humbled by your more than generous gift
this morning at our weekly Rotary meeting. I noticed you and the quilts
as soon as I walked in this morning. I had heard a little bit about
your group prior to today but was not familiar
with everything you have done. Your video presentation and talk
brought me back to my military days which ended nearly 23 years ago.
I was a member of the United States Air Force,
stationed out of Scott AFB in Belleville, Il. I was assigned to the 375
Security Police Squadron. I was a member of a 44 man flight that was
deployed to an undisclosed location in Saudi Arabia
on January 10, 1991. We were approximately 30 miles south of the Iraq
border. My responsibilities were to secure an air base for flight
missions in and out of Baghdad. We also provided search and rescue for
downed Apache Helicopters. I remember those times
and fellow airmen like it was yesterday.
I have recently had an opportunity to reunite with a
few of those men through facebook, those are friendships that you will
never forget. It doesn’t matter how long the gap is between
conversation the brotherhood is always there.
What you and your group are doing is extraordinary
and you all should be commended. You took what has been an excellent
week for me and put the exclamation point in it. I often have to remind
myself how many great people are truly in
this world. I think being in Law Enforcement for 23 years, sometimes
makes me pessimistic of others, but the last few days I have really had
a chance to reflect on my career, all the people who have shown their
support has been amazing.
There are no words that I can express to you how
honored you made me feel today by allowing me to be a recipient of a
Quilt of Valor and be able to share that with my fellow Rotarians.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Sincerely,
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