Growing up, I never knew the importance of Memorial Day. I just knew it was a day that we didn't have to go to school and that Summer had officially started. Fast forward post 9/11, Memorial Day became a HUGE deal to my entire family. My husband, Kolt, served in the Army alongside our cousin (by marriage), Tyler. They deployed to Iraq for an entire year in 2003-2004 along with their close friend Dustin Zumwalt. Kolt, Tyler, and Dustin returned home and were met with tears of joy, smiles of relief, and hugs of thankfulness. A year after they returned to the United States, my cousin (through marriage) Tommy deployed with his Army unit, however, his year long deployment was cut short by just a few months. His homecoming was different and he was met by a mourning widow and a grieving family. Tommy drove a Bradley Fighting Vehicle which ran over an extremely large IED in Ramadi, Iraq on October 15, 2005, tragically taking his life along with four other soldiers who were in his armored vehicle. Now, Memorial Day is not just a day off work for my husband or the start of Summer, it's a day to reflect on the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Kolt Foreman, Tyler Ruey, Dustin Zumwalt- Ft Hood, Texas
Getting ready to deploy.
Getting ready to deploy.
Tommy sitting on his Bradley in Iraq
Tommy's wife, Mykel (my cousin), saying "Goodbye"
