Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Silent Heroes

It has been a long, exhausting day but it was a great! I volunteer at our elementary school with the Deployment Club. Tonight was our Welcome Home Banquet. I have to say I am so proud of these kids. They planned the whole program and it was awesome. They wanted to do something to say Thank You to the Soldiers who just returned and so they planned a short program with a Spaghetti Dinner.
I am always touched by the kids in this club. They are so brave and courageous. I think a lot of times the kids are overlooked during deployments. I don't know how many people really stop to listen to what they have to say. We are hoping through this club we can be a venue to help them sort through their emotions. I am touched when they bring in their pictures to share, or their special pillow...a blanket. We are excited with them when they say their mommy or daddy is coming home...we are sad with them when they share that their Soldier is going back overseas. For some of the kids, they have never known life without their parent missing an important part of their life. And they accept it, they know it's how it is. I admire their strength.

Tonight we honored our returning Soldiers, but we also honored these young little warriors. Four young girls sang God Bless the U.S.A, as I looked around the room, I saw tears in many eyes...one Soldier in uniform was crying, I was touched. I beg you to sit in a room listening to children sing this song that makes me cry just hearing it by Lee Greenwood and not at least mist a little.

I am not going to share pics as I try not to post pics of other people's children (and Mr. T takes horrible pics!) but I will share some of their drawings. We took their pictures, scanned them and made them into buttons to hand out to the families.

P.S. I don't plan on eating spaghetti for a very long time!

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