who is your hometown hero?
Who is your hero? I met mine in May of 1998. He was fresh from Basic Training and I was coming out of my freshman year at LSU. A series of odd events brought him to my dorm room on the very day I was packing up for the summer. It took one afternoon to convince me that I'd found "the one". I have really great instincts. We were married in September of 2003, had our first baby in September of 2004 during flight school in Fort Rucker, AL. In 2008, he was deployed to Iraq, where he remained for a year (missing the delivery of our third baby and his first 6 months of life-- read more on that here). We recently celebrated the birth of our fifth child- and while he is no longer in the army, he'll always be my hero. 
Even being a former military wife, I'll never fully understand what our hardworking soldiers go through in times of war or separation- or that well of strength deep inside that draws them to military service in the first place. I do, however, understand the network of heroes who are left behind: the husbands and wives and children of those servicemen and women... the ones who didn't necessarily choose a military life- but proudly, humbly, bravely follow their soldiers to lands unknown. So in addition to the amazing men and women who are willing to fight and die for this country, we applaud the lesser-known heroes in trenches of their own: the tired mom who fixes toilets, mows the lawn and remembers to take out the trash... the anxious dad who drives carpool, braids hair and bakes cupcakes for class, the child who puts one foot in front of the other every day- a weary smile on his face. Our military families are the backbone of this country- and we all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude. Having said that, W.D. Wolf wants to honor a hometown hero with "Hometown Firecracker" outfits for his or her family. So, who is your hero? Leave your nominations here. Please tell us a little bit about your favorite soldier, military spouse or family- and what makes them so very special. We will select and announce the winner this week. Love, Sarah & Shannon
My ‘hometown hero’ is my husband, Michael! He is active duty Navy (almost 16 years now) and he sacrifices so much in order to serve our country. We’ve been married for ten years and have three children together (ages 3 months-7 years). He has been gone about 70% of the time in the last 6 years. He recently missed the birth of our third child. He returned home right before our son was 2 months old and he is gone again. He works so hard to provide for our family and to protect our country. He would love to see our kiddos looking so very adorable and patriotic in the hometown firecracker outfits!!
I was hooked on WDW before reading the story and now will certainly continue to support your company knowing that you’re a former military family! You know the sacrifices it takes from both ends (and how it feels to have daddy miss the birth of a child)! Thank you for taking the time to share your story and to read ours!
I thought I would say my husband was my hero. And he’s definitely one of them. We met while serving together in US Navy. Though I’m a Veteran he still serves our country. But after I thought about it a little bit longer… My kids. My kids are my heroes.
Daddy leaving is all my sweet babies have ever known, it’s just always been his duty. Our eldest son, Braeden, was born February 2010, just 3 weeks after his daddy set off for an 8 month cruise. They met each other right when Braeden was turning 7 months old. Even though he was ‘home’ they spent the next few months separated due to duty, some out to sea time, some special missions…. In January 2012 his daddy left again for an 10 month tour in Afghanistan. During that time my sweet boy was diagnosed with autism after months of struggles. His daddy is his rock and we know he’ll have to leave again, it just breaks my heart how brave he is now as his dad works long hours and will be preparing to start deployment rotations again.
Layla is a little over 2.5… her daddy left when she was 6 months old and returned 10 months later. She was instantly in love with the daddy she really only knew for Skype sessions. I’m very nervous how Chance (my husband) being gone will affect her this next deployment, she just absolutely adores him.
Kids are so resilient it’s astounding. While I’m so proud of my husband for his selfless service and continued dedication to our country, my children sacrifice so much- missed milestones, missed appointments, missed goodnight hugs and kisses… but it’s like they just know their daddy will be back and they never hold it against him as so many dads fear when they leave their babies. Bless all our service members- past, present and future. The military life is a long and hard one filled with goodbyes and separations…
My hometown hero is my sweet husband. He has been in the military since he was 18 years old. He has spent time as an enlisted soldier and also as an officer. He is the most loving, caring god-loving man I have ever met and I am so lucky to have him as a part of my life. He does so much for us, and gives so much back to us, it touches my heart and makes me emotional every time I think of him or see him. He is the best daddy ever. Our kids just make him an even better man. Thanks for the chance to honor him
My favorite hero would be my awesome Husband! He is active duty in the US Navy as a Submariner and I don’t know how he stays sane. He is a very hard worker, gives his all, and still comes home to his family with a smile on his face. We’ve been married almost 7 years. Sadly, he’s deployed right now and he won’t be home in time for our anniversary. I can’t wait to watch my kids run to him when he gets back! He has missed 3 out out 4 of our son’s birthday, and will probably miss his 5th bday in March due to taking on an extra assignment to (hopefully) advance to Chief. He is such an inspiration. Also, I’ve made a friend during this deployment. I’d like to nominate her as well. Wren Brown has been a great friend and has helped me with anything and everything! Her husband is active infantry in the US Army! She’s amazing. Lastly, I’d like to speak on behalf of my children. They would say their daddy is heir hero! For “keeping the world safe”, as my son says. Thanks so much! Xoxo.
This is an easy one for us… We choose our very own Daddy!! He is our hero everyday not only because he serves active in the Army. My parents met before he was deployed to Afghanistan. When he came back they got married in August and the next year had their very own daughter that’s me! We would love to be nominated for this dress! This coming 4th will mean so much more to our family because it will be my first. This dress would be a blessing to make it perfect! Daddy loves seeing me in your clothing! They are truly special to us!! So my hero is my daddy he fights for not only my freedom but your family too!