My Veteran ~ My Hero

Kevin retired from the military last October, after 21 years in the US Army and National Guard. I was/am a HORRIBLE military wife. I don't like being away from him. We were apart for almost 3 years in a 5 year time frame. I was a mess--to put it lightly.

Kevin has always felt the desire to make a difference, an admirable character trait no doubt. He re-enlisted in the Army a few months before we got married because our country was at war (Desert Storm). He stayed in the NG because he really enjoys leading soldiers--just not all the beaurocratic crap that goes with it. I could have been so much more supportive than I was.

Tonight I just want to say how proud I am of my husband. Proud of the man/husband/father he is, his service to our country, his desire to make a difference in this world. His last deployment was to Afghanistan. A deployment that he volunteered to go on. He was assigned to train the ANA soldiers, a duty he felt would make a difference. The 8 months he spent over there has changed him forever. He is not the same man he was when he left. War changes men (and women). Not necessarily for the worse, just changes them. Too many things seen, emotions experienced, disappointment felt, wanting to change things--yet unable to do so.

He arrived home just a little over a month before we left to go back around the world to China to bring Graycen home. We joked that he literally traveled around the world for that baby girl...and I know he'd do it again. Wait! He is doing it again for RunYi.

One thing that made a huge impact on Kevin while he was in Afghanistan was the children, especially the girls. He was waiting to see the face of his new daughter. He saw so many girls, which are, for the most part, cast aside, treated as they don't matter and don't really have a future. He told me many times while he was there that he wished he could just bring some home with him, to change their future. We sent toys, candy and sunglasses for him to give out to the many children that would follow their convoys as they traveled the country. I know it made him feel good to make them smile, if only for a short while.

Here are a couple of the thousands of faces that have impacted him forever. He has already warned me that if international adoption ever opens up there, we will be going there for sure. I think he knows he is safe in making this statement, as it is highly if not totally unlikely to occur.

So, even though I am a day late, I want to say "Thank You" to my favorite veteran. I love you , and I am so very proud of you!