For all the Fathers who loved so much they gave their lives. They are not forgotten. May this bring comfort to the families.
Ronan Tynan Singing Mansions of the Lord at the National Memorial Concert in Washington D.C. John 14:2
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
When I was Digital Media student at Valencia College, we had an assignment to do a music video. My professors were used to me just doing projects with a veterans theme. I did "Dance With My Father Again" and students offered to help.
A wash to honor fathers' sacrifice: Families gather for a cleaning of the wall
Stars and Stripes
By Heath Druzin
Published: June 20, 2015
WASHINGTON — For years, Patty Lee didn’t speak about her father; her mother never discussed him with her six children.
But Sgt. 1st Class Delbert C. Totty hadn’t done anything wrong. The unspoken truth was that he was killed in action in Vietnam when Lee was 12 years old.
“We all grew up in silence,” Lee said of a generation of children whose fathers died in a war many wanted to forget. “We didn’t talk about Vietnam, we didn’t talk about our fathers.”
It’s difficult to fathom in this age of solemn homages to troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and warm welcomes when they come home safely, but for the children of Vietnam veterans, the fate of their fathers was often a dark secret.
Lee, now 60, didn’t have a chance to grieve for 25 years until 1992, when a new group, Sons and Daughters in Touch, organized a gathering at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., for children of troops lost in the war. For many like Lee it was the first time they met others with similar stories — the first time they didn’t feel alone. read more here
A wash that helps close wounds of war at the Vietnam Memorial Wall
Stars and Stripes
Published on Jun 20, 2015
In honor of Father’s Day, children, grandchildren, friends and families of U.S. troops who died as a result of their involvement in the Vietnam War, met early Saturday, June 20, 2015, to help wash the Wall in Washington, D.C., that honors some 58,000 fallen Vietnam veterans.
By Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes
National Guardsman marks end of Afghanistan deployment with surprise homecoming with family Associated Press
Published June 20, 2015
In this Friday, June 19, 2015 photo, Nevada Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Glen Spadin gets hugs from his wife Maja, left, their daughter Rebecca, 2, and son Mark, 9, after his surprise return from Afghanistan during Patriot Night at the Reno Rodeo in Reno, Nev. Spadin returned after a year in Afghanistan to surprise his six children.
(AP Photo/Cathleen Allison) (The Associated Press)
RENO, Nev. – A Nevada National Guardsman has marked the end of a one-year deployment in Afghanistan with a surprise Father's Day weekend homecoming with his wife and six children at the Reno Rodeo.
Chief Warrant Officer Glen Spadin of Sparks, Nevada, was greeted by hugs from his son and five daughters during a Patriot Night ceremony Friday arranged by the rodeo, Nevada Army National Guard and his wife, Maja.
His children, who range in age from 6 months to 9 years, were not told about his arrival home beforehand. They were called to the arena floor along with their mother for the ceremony by the rodeo announcer.
Two rodeo officials on horseback then entered the arena, with the animals shielding Spadin, who was on foot. The children reacted with a mixture of shock and excitement when he suddenly emerged from behind the horses.
"Some of them cried, and some were running around and just kind of hugging and holding on to me," he said. "My son said it was like a dream."
A crowd of some 9,000 gave a standing ovation. read more here
Military dads balance service to country with love of family
Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas
By Claire Kowalick
Published: June 15, 2014
Meeting his daughter, Quinn, for the first time, Capt. Kevin McKay returns from a six-month deployment with the 117th Air Control Squadron. His wife, Ariel, gave birth March 21, 2014. Quinn's poster says it all, "Hurry Daddy, I've been waiting my whole life to meet you!"
GEORGE BURNSED/U.S. AIR FORCE
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — “One team, one fight.” This phrase, often heard around the military, could be equally applied to the challenge of being a loving father with a military career.
About 60 percent of enlisted personnel and 70 percent of officers in the military are married and about 50 percent have children.
While some civilian jobs require travel, few require it with the frequency and length of time as being in the military.
“It’s a mixed bag,” said Air National Guard Major Rusty Brinkley, “While I’m able to provide for them and do something that I have wanted to do since growing up, the trips away are the most difficult part.”
Brinkley, formerly of Burkburnett, now stationed at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Florida, said he estimates he has been on tours of duty away from his wife, Tia, for about 45 percent of their 11 year marriage. read more here
Disabled Iraq veteran finds being a dad helped him learn to cope
Offers message of hope to marathon bombing victims
By Maria Papadopoulos
Enterprise Staff Writer
Posted Jun 16, 2013
MIDDLEBORO
Disabled Iraq veteran Peter Damon has one message for the amputee victims of the Boston Marathon bombings: This will bring out the best in you.
“This will be a defining moment in your life and you will find a strength and resilience you never knew you had,” Damon, 40, said during a recent interview at his Middleboro home.
On Oct. 21, 2003, Damon lost his right arm and left hand while serving in the National Guard in Iraq, in a Black Hawk helicopter accident that killed a friend. A tire Damon was changing on the helicopter exploded.
Damon later underwent surgery at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and was fitted with prosthetic devices.
Now, nearly 10 years later, Damon spoke of the days and weeks after he lost his limbs – and how he moved forward.
As his wife, Jennifer, sat by his side in the living room of their home, Damon spoke about the anxiety and uncertainty he felt at first, along with the excruciating physical pain. read more here
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