"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

The month of November, for most, is a month of Thanksgiving. While I do love Thanksgiving, November is also a month of remembrance for me.

Veteran's Day got me thinking of how different Greg and I's lives have been since the war started in 2003. I can still remember waking early on a cold March morning in Kansas. We had had Bible Study at our house the night before and all though it really wasn't published knowledge we knew the invasion was about to begin. Greg and I said special prayers that night for the Battalion from our Brigade that was already in Iraq. As I turned on the TV I witnessed the greenish haze of a night vision lens on a news camera. The camera was focused on several soldiers in gas masks walking back in forth in front of some sort of equipment. All I could do was cry, cry for my girlfriend Christy who's husband Dennis was already there and for myself and my little family. We didn't know exactly when Greg would leave at that point but we knew his leave was imminent.

On April 28th we watched Greg get on a bus headed for an airport that would send him to Iraq. Sam was almost two and Ethan was just an infant. Leaving that parking lot I remember thinking the war had almost a romantic notion to it. We were (and I believe are) the next Great Generation. The romance of a deployment quickly faded. Deployments are horrible. It is horrible to do everything alone, grocery trips, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, lawn mowing, child rearing, etc. are meant to be done as a couple. When Sean McWilliams was hit by an IED in October of 2003 and Greg assumed command of Alpha Company 1-13 Armor, I truly began to understand what fear was. Having Greg in command is something I could never really explain to someone who is not in the army. Greg's focus for two years was keeping his men alive, my job was to run the Family Readiness Group. Those two things are tough on a marriage. Our days at Fort Riley were some of the darkest I've known.

Greg returned from Iraq in March of 2004, by April we knew he would be returning. Gabe was born in January and Greg left just 12 days later. I have never cried so uncontrollably. My girlfriend Nancy must have thought I was CRAZY! Little did we all know what was in store for our company.

In November, just a few days after Thanksgiving, I received a call that Greg's gunner, SGT Dominic Sacco, had been killed by a sniper. Greg was no longer in command, but the new company commander's wife graciously allowed me to come and be with Brandi Sacco. The next few days were a blur of grief for me, I cannot imagine how they must have been for Brandi. Karen (the new commander's wife) and I spent many hours driving back and forth from Fort Riley to Topeka to be with Brandi and for the visitation and finally the funeral.



I will never forget that funeral. If you ever want to see true evil look into the eyes of Fred Phelps. For some reason Mr. Phelps feels that his calling in life is to go from town to town, with his "church" picketing soldiers funerals. Luckily there is another group called The Patriot Guard Riders who ride from funeral to funeral with their Harley's blaring to drown out the taunts from these evil people! I will never forget pulling up to the funeral home that frigid December day and seeing a flag upside down, knowing that my husband was risking his life so that these idiots could act like idiots. When I met up with Karen she wanted to sneak in the back of the funeral home, but I refused. I would not allow Fred Phelps to win. I told her we were going in the front door in front of everyone. We grabbed hands and walked what seemed like the longest walk of my life. We cried as we walked but I feel like we made a statement that day, that not even Phelps could take away the pride we felt for SGT Sacco and for our husbands. (For more picture of that day click HERE).

Someone else has decided that Phelps will no longer be able to torture the families of fallen soldiers. Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine who died in combat, has sued Fred Phelps and WON!! (For the news article click HERE). A federal judge in Baltimore awarded the Snyder family $11 million in damages because of Phelps' invasion of privacy. Now I know this family will probably never see a dime of that money, but I'm glad a good man has done something so that this evil will no longer be allowed to prevail!!

Okay, off my soap box for now....thanks for "listening" to my ranting....stay tuned for more sappy posts, we have an "Alive Day" coming up!!!