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
Although I want to nominate myself (US Air Force injured in the line of duty) I can not think of a better person to nominate than my sister in law Ashleigh Stratton. Her husband Chris is also in the US Air Force. Chris has been deployed for most of their marriage. They have a sassy 5 year old named Taylor Grace, and a sweet baby boy named Jackson. Chris was deployed 3 weeks after Jackson was born and just got home not too long ago. He will be home for about 5 months before he gets deployed to Japan for a year.
Ashleigh is a strong mom to raise 2 kiddos on her own being so far away from her family. She only owns 1 of your items and this dress would be perfect for the homecoming of Chris when he gets back from Japan.
Thanks so much for your consideration!
My hometown hero is my husband, Roger. He is currently a Blackhawk pilot in the U.S. Army! In July, our sweet baby girl was born with the chord wrapped around her neck 5 times and given a 50% chance of survival. I had just had an emergency C-section and was not able to take care of our newborn. My sweet husband dropped everything and stayed by her side at the NICU for the whole time she was there. These last 6 months have been such an emotional roller coaster dealing with my daughter’s health issues, but he has been my absolute rock! He works so hard and such long hours to make sure I can stay home with our sweet girl and focus on our therapy and doctors appointments. He not only serves his country so selflessly, he sacrifices so much for our little family! We would love to win this dress to wear to all his work events! Thank you WDW for this opportunity!
My favorite hometown hero is our neighbor Adam Summerford. He is the definition of an American soldier. He has completed multiple tours of duty over seas and came back to the states and became a drill sergeant. He injured his back while overseas and has had numerous back surgeries since then. Finally last year at the age of 28 he had to medically retire due to his back. He has met limitations that have gotten in the way of everyday life. He and his wife are expecting a sweet baby boy in May of this year and we are
so excited for them! Even though he suffers from major back problems, he is there for us in any way he can be. When my husband is on duty, Adam constantly checks up on me and my daughter. He is one of the most selfless people I have ever had the honor to know. I am proud to know such a fine hometown hero!
My hero is Megan Brown. She and her husband have both served us all. She is a fabulous mother to a sweet “special needs” boy and a sassy sweet little girl. She is an amazing wife to a hubby that may be away soon. She will then take on the role of wife, mommy and daddy. She truly deserves this. Thank you for your consideration for this fabulous lady.
I would like to Nominate my husband Michael.We have 3 kids, all girls. Nope we where not trying for a boy lol.
Mike is currently out, but was in the the Marines until 2011. He struggles daily with PTSD, a traumatic brain injury and the loss of friends killed in his unit. Mike is a OIF veteran and is my hero. He is our kids hero. Every day he does the best he can, he goes to work and he puts a smile on. Even with crushing pain, grief and the turmoil PTSD has caused. Thanks for the chance!!