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
I would like to nominate Nick, in the air force, a husband of a friend of mine. I met his wonderful wife through a close knit group of mother’s who buy precious clothing for their little ones, like wdw. When I befriended her and their beautiful daughter Avery Cate, Nick was currently deployed. He had missed every holiday with them that year, including this past Christmas, which they celebrated after his home coming in early January! He was deployed when she found out the gender of their first baby girl, Avery Cate, and to see the Skype video as they revel the gender together is heart warming and will bring tears to your eyes. I nominated this family because of their spirit. Not everyone understands the sacrifices the families make to this country as well. She always stays positive and speaks of how much her and Avery miss and support Nick while he is away. She makes me proud to nominate them for this dress for Avery Cate. They have given me such a heart felt and wonderful view of what it’s like to be a military family. She has searched for last year’s wdw fire cracker dress for a while now with no luck, and I would love for her to win this one!
I met my hometown hero when she was 16 and still a highschool student. I walked in to teach her math class, and I admit it, she was horrible. Gave me hell and made me want to quit. (I didn’t. ) lol We started off not so great. :) The next year she came back to my class and told me how much respect she had for me. Now it’s my turn to show my respect for her. Right out of highschool, Erika Wilson joined the military. She had a sweet little girl, now 6, and chose to deploy soon after her birth. She served in Afghanistan, and came back a strong woman instead of just a strong-willed girl. Just recently she had a little boy. I found out yesterday that she has again chosen to serve our country and finds herself back in Afghan. When I told her how much I respect her decision and how I could never choose a job over watching my children grow, she replied that, “that’s what parents do. They provide for their kids. My job just takes me to the other side of the world. Thank God for Skype and fb.” She’ll be gone for 8 more months. Her beautiful baby boy will celebrate his 1st bday without his mom. He’ll probably be walking & talking when she finally gets to hold and kiss him again. I’m a SAHM. I can’t even think about that without crying. Erika does it with grace and dignity, though. It’s an honor to say that she’s my former student and my hometown hero.
My son in law is our hometown hero. He joined the Army @ 17. He and my daughter met in 2007. He had just come back from Iraq. He is an awesome Christian husband to my precious daughter and the best dad to my sweet granddaughter.
My heroes are my kids. My husband knew what he was getting into when he joined the Army, and I knew what I was signing up for when I married him, but no one asked them if they minded having a dad that deploys overseas for years at a time, disappears for weeks, leaves long before the sun comes up and rarely gets to come to parent teacher conferences or doctor’s appointments or speech therapy sessions or holiday parties. It isn’t always easy for a two year old and a four year old to understand that being a soldier isn’t a nine to five, Monday through Friday kind of gig. And having a 40 year OLD mom that can barely keep up with their endless energy probably isn’t that great either. But they are such a wonderful reflection of their father – diligent, resilient, fearless, amazing, kind and understanding, Even now, as we prepare to leave the only home they’ve ever known to spend two years in Korea, my son matches his father’s enthusiasm for the adventure that awaits us there, even though it means leaving his school, his wonderful teachers, and all of the friends he’s made over the last year. My children are my heroes, and I’m so proud of how they adapt so graciously to whatever life, or the Army, throws at them.
Love this!!