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 dad. He served in the army for 27 years, retiring as a master sergeant. He was orphaned at 10, and joined after his brother did, because “3 squares a day and a chance to see the world sounded pretty good.” He went all over Europe, to Iran, Korea, Norway, and served a tour in Vietnam during the war.
He met my mom, an army widow at the time, through friends at Ft. Lewis, and they corresponded for several months via Reel to Reel tapes that they still have after he was stationed next in Norway. He proposed, she and her first son (my half-brother) flew out there, and my second brother was born there. I was born at Ft. Belvoir, VA, and from there, we went to Schofield Barracks, HI, and back to Ft. Lewis. Next post was to have been Mannheim, Germany, but rather than keep uprooting us kids, my dad decided that it was time to retire.
My dad is an amazing man, and so devoted to his wife and family. I love to hear his stories and am trying to record them to share with our daughter. We try to skype every night so that he can see her grow, and I am really looking forward to going home so he can hold her on his lap, since he can’t travel anymore. Fourth of July is our favorite holiday, and I can’t wait for him to see her dancing in her new dress <3
My husband is by far my hometown hero and the love of my life. <3
Gary comes from a family full of Army officers with special operations training so it is no surprise that he spent 10 years stationed in Savannah as an Army Ranger. Over the range of 10 years he did 7 deployments to Iraq and 4 to Afghanistan. After he got out of the military he began contracting and still continues to spend about 2/3 of the year in Iraq with 3 months on 2 months off rotations. Our daughter came 3 weeks early and because of his job we were caught completely off guard and he wasn't home for her birth. She is definitely a daddy's girl. I know that it is hard for him to miss so many parts of her life, but he is such a strong devoted American and truly believes that there is a reason for what he does. More than anything, I am thankful that the job that he has and the things he has/does see every day have not hardened his amazing and caring heart. He will never turn down a tea party, princess book, deny a snuggle, or a plea to please help me cart the new WDW
My husband is a true American hero…
My husband is my Hometown Hero. He’s been in the army for the past 17 years. He’s such an amazing husband & father. He gives so much love and support to us even with all of the stress and difficulties that he goes through on a daily basis. It’s amazing to me that he can give so much of himself to take care of others, not only us, his family, but all those he’s never met personally. I’m so proud to be able to call such a selfless individual mine. :-)
I was debating entering but how could I not. My Hometown Hero is my little sister and not because I am bias. My sister served her country for 10 long years and in the process has become a wife and a mother. Unfortunately after her second tour my sister was diagnosed with PTSD and struggles with every day life. But she has been such an inspiration. She has taken the time to make herself better not only for her but for her children. She has managed to finish her up her Master’s degree while raising a family alone. Her husband who has served 4 tours is currently overseas and instead of dwelling on it or letting it tare apart her progress she embraces it and the fact that he can still serve his country where she cannot. She has become a helping hand in her community and helps others transitioning out of the military or those recently diagnosed with PTSD. She also has a huge heart and has taken on a mother and daughter who have lost everything. She has opened up her home to them and treats this family as her own. What inspires me most about my sister is that where some would just lay die and give up she has not. She doesn’t know what tomorrow holds for her or if she will even get through it but she sees a rainbow in it all and is grateful for being able to breath everyday. I thank her everyday for all she has given up to protect this country. She is my light! Thank you so much!
My hometown hero would have to be my grandfather. In the late 1950’s, my grandmother was on her own with three small children when she met my grandfather, a corporal in the Army. They fell in love and were married shortly after with him taking in these children as his own(I didn’t even know he wasn’t my biological grandfather until I was around 11!). My grandfather not only had a career in the military, but went to chiropractic college as well. He always had a way of healing people and putting his love for others before himself, whether it be his country or his family. After all of his military travels and graduation from chiropractic college they moved back to his hometown and had one more child. We only lived about two hours from my grandparents when I was growing up but I never got to spend as much time with them as I would have liked. About 5 years ago, their health started declining and they were moved to an assisted living home in our town. This is when I started to spend more time with them. My grandfather, known to us kids as Popoo, and to everyone else as Dr. Tom, was the kindest most gentle spirited person I’ve ever met. He loved to call everyone “Sugar Booger” and always had a wink ready! My grandfather passed away last year on March 6 and this is when I truly realized what a hero is. Although I regretted not spending as much time with him when I was younger, the time I spent with him before his passing will always be the most special to me. He had always sacrificed to provide for others and never thought twice about it. He lived his life to make others happy. If I can be half the person in my lifetime that he was, it would be an honor. So if you were to choose my grandfather as your hero, I would want you to do what he would do. Choose a needy family at church or possibly at a local homeless shelter and give that little girl/boy a new dress/shirt. I can just see him now, looking down on whoever gets that outfit unexpectedly and giving them a big ole wink!