Hero Stories for August 2008

SSG Christopher S. Kiernan was killed in action 5/6/07, my husband SSG Chris Kiernan served 17 years, 9 months and 3 days in the Army. His time in the service took him to Germany, Bosnia, Somolia, Haiti, Dessert Storm, Iraq, Katrina relief and back to Iraq. Chris's MOS was 19K, a tank commander on a M1A2 Abrahms tank. We were married 12/29/2001. It seem like such a short time, and living without him has been extremely tough, and sad. Most people never experience the kind of love and marria...

I would first like to thank all of you for the work that you are doing!! I ordered bracelets for my family as soon as I heard about them. My son, LCPL Orin M. Santini, is a 21 year old Marine. Orin joined the Marines when he was 17 and left for boot camp shortly after he graduated from high school, in Cody, Wy. Seeing your son leave, knowing that he could go to war, and knowing that it was entirely his choice, is one of the hardest things a mother will ever go through. My son has trained...

We recently heard from Tim at BrainandSpinalCord.org. It's a good organization and resource for information these kinds of injuries. ------------- Whenever a person or family is suddenly confronted with the world-changing experience of a catastrophic spinal cord injury or brain injury, there are a host of questions but seemingly few solid answers.  These questions involve a wide spectrum of issues:  health, rehabilitation, hope for recovery, current research, financial, legal, and the list go...

Petty Officer Second Class Anthony M. Carbull

My hero happens to be my father. When I was in 5th grade my dad went to Tal Afar, Iraq and I was really scared. He wrote me every day. My dad has a great amount of courage for going through what he went through and I could never be more proud of him than i am today. The day he left everyone was fine and no one in his unit had started to cry besides me. I was 10 and my best friend was my dad. He was so strong and I couldn't understand why he wasn't as upset as I was that day. He took me into t...

My name is Brittany Pastor and my hero is my husband Sidney J. Pastor III. He is serving in his third tour right now in Iraq. We met over the internet by mistake in October 07 and were married March 6 2008. Two days after we were married he left and I have not seen him since. He is the most perfect man in the world and I would do anything for him. Well he is already doing so much for me and our country by serving. Thank you for what you do. I never take my bracelet off. Thank you Brittany Pas...

My daughter goes to high school, and many of her friends wear HeroBracelets bearing the names of those killed in action. Well, one of her friends had been wearing a memorial bracelet for over a year and really wanted to know more about the soldier she'd been wearing. She did some research on the web and came across a memorial to him on a Web site. She posted a small piece about how she'd been wearing his name on her wrist and was proud to be able to honor him memory, and how she was glad to b...

(Today, we were updating the KIA database from the DOD. Not something we ever look forward to, but something we need to do nonetheless. Then, when opening email this morning, we came across this letter from a HeroBracelets wearer from Florida. It brought into perspective what we're doing here and what can happen when people decide to do something kind for a stranger. It really made our day and we're proud to share it with you.) -------------------------- I recently received an email about the...

Missourians Supporting Missouri's Combat Wounded Veterans The mission of the M1 for Vets Project of the Owensville Gun Club is to perpetuate the recognition of our combat wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan for their sacrifices in the War on Terror. The project was initiated by John J O'Shea of North Carolina as a vehicle of recognition for a combat wounded friend of his two sons, both active duty Marines. The first rifle was presented in December 2005. Since then over 150 rifles have be...

Dear Hero Bracelets, Thank you so much for your support and service to all the families of military personnel. I bought a bracelet in honor of my "little brother," Sgt Gregory Sepeda, of the US Army while he was in Iraq from Oct '07 to June '08. This was technically his second deployment since 2002 and it wasn't any easyier for our family. My parents, siblings, neice/nephews, his girlfriend, and I were on pins and needles constantly during his absence. I wore the bracelet, daily, as a re...