Growing up I was always proud of my heritage. My uncle was in the Oklahoma National Guard. My mothers dad was a navy veteran of WW2. My fathers dad fought in the trenches of WW1. I had ancestors in most of our nations wars, even some Cherokees who fought for this country when it was theirs. I married a girl whose military heritage was awe inspiring. Her father was on Iwo Jima and was one of 6 DeHaas brothers who were all in the military at one time in their lives. They took pride in tracing their ancestry back to Brig Gen JP DeHaas who fought in the Revolutionary War and in the French and Indian War prior to that. Also to Capt. Wm Shippen who was the first Marine KIA at the battle of Princeton in 1777. I was proud of both my family and my wife's family heritage. Then my wife and I had a son. Of course I raised him to be proud of his ancestors. Their sacrifice was instilled on his being. He called one day and said "I have to join..." I asked why. He said he could not allow his college friends go to Afghanistan while he enjoyed college life. I felt great pride in him. We watched as he graduated an infantryman at Ft Benning. And then as he told all who were dear to him 'Goodbye' when he deployed. I prayed for him as all the horrors of war touched his life. Then he came home. On veterans day, I asked him if I could put up a static display for his friend who was killed. Of course he said that it would be fine. He told me that when he came to see it, he had to have a good cry. He told me the thing that combat has changed for him is how real it is when someone says those two words....Welcome home

Will Meyer
Ames, OK