Yesterday, on the 29th of September, I drove down to the Richmond Virginia National Guard Base to pick up my eldest son, Will, after his nearly year-long Army National Guard deployment to East Africa. This is the photo I texted to my wife to let her know I’d retrieved him.
As an Army Infantry platoon leader in charge of a heavy weapons vehicle platoon, Will deployed to Djibouti and later northern Kenya as part of a security force for U.S. operations in East Africa, primarily against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab terrorist group. Will conducted near daily security and combat patrols in Djibouti and northern Kenya to protect U.S. forces. He and all his soldiers returned back safely to the U.S. He was nominated for a Meritorious Service Medal by his battalion commander for his accomplishments during the mission.
Since his birthday was a couple days beforehand, we took him out for a birthday and welcome home celebration. He told us stories of his adventures and life in East Africa. He and his unit remind me of why America is the greatest nation on earth, and why we must defend our country.
Montani Semper Liberi