Thank You Uncle Darren

I was very grateful to have today off, as I was then able to go out to see my Uncle Darren off. He was deployed along with 44 other National Guard members to Iraq. This will be his second tour there. The departure ceremony started at 10:00 this morning, with Uncle Darren standing out in front of his platoon. Yep, that's him, in the center (this picture is from ksl I believe--several tv crews were there and our family made it on several of their cameras):


And here is a view from my seat amidst the friends and family of the soldiers:


After the initial ceremony we all gathered around our loved ones. Here's a quick picture of Darren, Karsen, Ethan and Joey:


Though it was certainly chilly, we soon made our way out to the Black Hawk helicopters. As the leader, Darren had signed for them, so we of course appreciated the fact that they were all "his" ;) We spent the next hour or so around the helicopter that he would be leaving in-taking pictures, talking in general, striving not to cry (some of us were more successful than others), and chasing Michael and Ethan around. Karsen also got a piggy-back ride from me, and then we helped keep each other warm.

I was able to get several videos, but as they are on my cell phone I won't subject you to each of them. I did want to offer this one at least. I wanted to get all four helicopters with their blades going, but my angle was wrong to have them all in one shot. The main focus is on his craft, though I warn you, turn down/off your computer volume before hitting play-it's loud, and my cell phone mic isn't exactly the best:




It was quite the sight, watching those 45 men and women take off in formation to serve our country (actually 21 left today, the rest will be leaving tomorrow). My thanks to all those who stand for our freedom, and my special thanks to you, Uncle Darren, for your great example. We all love you.