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 wonderful husband. He is an injured Iraq War vet who no longer is in the military but now works for the VA establishing claims for veterans just like him. He goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure veterans get the treatment they deserve, even when he himself is going through similar struggles. He is my hero and I couldn’t be prouder!
I would like to nominate my good friend Heather. Her husband is in the Air Force and currently deployed. She is an amazing mom to her 5 year old daughter and little man who just turned one!! She also runs her own business! Wow! I am so glad to have found and amazing friend in her! I will miss her dearly when they leave this summer! This would be her first well dressed wolf piece and I can’t think of someone more deserving! It’s hard enough to be mom so I can’t imagine having to be mom and dad. :)
I nominate Pam Moore McCoy and her husband, Ben McCoy. When Pam was pregnant with their first child, Ben was stationed overseas, in Iraq. Pam had to deal with a high-risk pregnancy alone, and Ben put his life on the line every day. Ben was able to fly in three days before their daughter Peyton was born! :) Peyton is now seven, and she is soon to be a big sister. Pam and Ben are expecting a boy in July. Ben just returned from Bahrain, so Pam is still handling things largely on her own. They are a wonderful family, and Pam loves Well Dressed Wolf! The Hometown Firecracker dress would be beautiful on Peyton when she welcomes her baby brother into this very patriotic family. :)
Thank you!
Cathy Haas
My hometown hero is my cousin Chris. He left in September 2011 for Iraq a week after the birth of his son and three weeks after the passing of his wifes mother. There was so much heartache surrounding that time but he never once complained. That’s what I admire most about him. During times of utter chaos or sadness, he has a way of keeping it together and some how that shines on to those around him. He came home safely the following summer and continues to serve here at home as a firefighter in Arlington Heights Illinois. Thank you for giving all of us the opportunity to acknowledge our loved ones. Take care.
My hometown hero is my husband, Joe. Not only is he an incredible father and husband, he has also been such an asset to the US Army since 2002. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and then again in 2005. His closest friend was killed in action on May 6th, 2005. On June 6, 2005, my husband took a bullet to his back while on a mission. The bullet exited through the front. He was rushed to surgery in Iraq where he lost a lot of his intestines. Things were very touch and go during the surgery as he had lost a lot of blood etc. He was stableized and eventually was flown to Germamy then to the states to recover. As horrible as it was for him to experience being shot , it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now before you think I’m crazy, let me explain. I had just graduated nursing school and moved to Georgia in July 2005. In August, I met my husband who was out and about for the first time since being injured. Had he not been at the wrong place, at the wrong time, he would have still been in Iraq and I may never have met this incredible man I am proud to call my husband. We were married less than a year later. Through all the therapy, the learning to walk again, finding out that he could no longer be an infantryman, he was always proud to be a soldier. He reclassified to work on Blackhawks but found out shortly after being assigned to his unit that not only did he have the lasting effects from the gunshot but also had pretty significant PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. Although he can no longer be active duty, he has since retired and works for the army with the warrior transition unit. As proud of him as I was for his sacrifices as an active duty soldier, I am evenote proud of what he is doing for other soldiers. The warrior transition unit is full of sick and injured soldiers who are waiting to either return to their units or to get out of the army. My husband works on their computer systems but that is only a very a part of his job. He talks to the soldiers and helps them by talking about their experiences and telling them how he copes. He still struggles daily with the PTSD and lasting effects from the tbi but shows these soldiers many of whom feel down and out that it is possible to live a great life after losing so much. He has taken 4 soldiers under his wing and taught them about computers and the two who have already retired out of the military were able to get jobs in the IT field thanks to the knowledge gained while working with my husband. Like I said, everyday is a struggle for him, but he is still hands down the best father, husband, and soldier I have ever known.