A Mom and 'Her Guys'

This is my friend, Knottie, and a group of soldiers from the 101st Airborne. Over Veteran's Day, they returned home after a long deployment in Iraq.

One soldier did not return with his unit - SPC Micheal "Pokey" Phillips was killed in action on 24 February 2008. But, his mother never stopped supporting and loving her guys, and she was there when they got home. And, she shares her story...

On Nov. 11th, Veteran's Day, we packed our car and loaded up the family to head to Ft. Campbell. The men my son served with were on their way home from Iraq, two months early, and I was finally going to get to meet and hug these men who have become so important in my life.

As we drove on Veteran's Day I thought about how lucky the people in this country are to have the men and women of our military. Between it being Veterans day and where we were heading I had no choice but to see things from a perspective most Americans fail to look at. We drove without fear of IEDs. There were no check points. We could stop along the way and not fear snipers or suicide bombers. When we were hungry we had a multitude of options. And I knew without a doubt that these freedoms and this security are due fully to the fact we have such an outstanding group of people who made the choice to wear the uniform and defend these things.

I realized also.. we have WON in Iraq....

To read the rest, go here - http://knottiesniche.blogspot.com/2008/11/theyre-home.html
And, please, leave a message for Knottie.....

SPC Micheal "Pokey" Phillips