A
time in which I had discovered something very meaningful in my life took place
around the holiday season in 2011. My father went to Afghanistan to spend
Thanksgiving with our American Soldiers. He followed the 172nd
Brigade Blackhawks, a division in our military army. At this time, Afghanistan
was still a very dangerous place to be in. There was constant fighting going
on. Explosive devices were going off constantly. I was feeling very concerned
about my dad, and I know my mom was too. He was working on a segment that would
later be shown on the Sean Hannity Christmas Special on the Fox News Channel.
My father’s mission was to capture on film what soldiers and their families go
through when deployed and off to fight in war. The soldiers that my father
followed were considered doubled deployed. This means that they are based in
Germany and then from there, the soldiers go to Afghanistan. Their spouses and
children are separated from their families as well, do to the fact that they
are away from the states. The separation that occurs to these families and
soldiers are difficult to endure at times, especially around the holiday
season. My father’s goal was to capture all the emotions through the camera
lens and put together a very special segment that all Americans would see and
appreciate. His main goal was to be able to give some glimmer of happiness to
their spouses, children and families who would be watching this at home around
Christmas time.
He first followed the soldiers to Germany,
where they are stationed. There, he filmed their spouses and children put
together care packages that later would be delivered to the soldiers back in
Afghanistan. These packages had items such as; snacks, toiletries, pictures and
personal letters written to them. There were many items that were also donated
from different companies who wanted to support this great cause. My father is a
good friend of Chuck Norris, and he was able to get him to donate these awesome
Chuck Norris t-shirts. After all the packages were completed, they were ready
to be flown to Afghanistan. My father then was off to Afghanistan as well. He
was filming our soldiers on a day-to-day basis.
If I remember correctly, I believe my
father came home around the 20th of December in 2011. He looked
exhausted, yet pleased. He had been gone for a month at least, but at times it
felt like forever. My mom, brother and I were to happy to have him home safe.
He shared his experiences to us, yet it really hadn’t sunk in. When December 23rd
arrived, we turned on the television at 6pm to watch The Hannity Christmas Show
Special. As I watched the show with my father and mother, it was then that I
realized how much sacrifice our soldiers and their families endure. I look at
things differently now. I appreciate everything and everyone in my life. I
especially appreciate what these soldiers do to secure our freedoms. The one
thing that I discovered throughout this entire process was that my father
sacrificed himself to tell a soldier’s story about what they endure in times of
war. He showed me how much of a patriot he was. He made me see that everything
I have and enjoy in life is because we live in the greatest nation in the
world. It was then that I decided to be a patriot myself. I watch and listen to
the news all of the time now. I keep up on current events. U.S. History is now
my favorite subject. But the one thing I learned the most about myself is that
I feel so proud to be an American.
If
you would like to view the segment, type in this link.
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2050536347001/operation-patriot-care-package/
12 comments:
I thoroughly enjoyed your piece. I loved how you emphasized the sacrifice which goes into military service, on behalf of both the troops and their families at home. I think oftentimes the emotional burden which soldiers' loved ones endure is overlooked and I'm glad you called attention to it. It was great how you concluded the entry by explaining the personal impact your father's trip had on you. Serving our nation is a noble profession and I admire your willingness to pursue it.
-Christina Tapia
Your piece was fantastic! It actually made me emotional because it reminded me of my cousins who are in the military service. It is difficult to make a sacrifice by leaving your family and other loved ones, but it is a noble service to be proud of. It is cool how you are very much interested to be in military service and it is something to be proud of. I totally loved this piece!
Thank you for sharing your personal experience :) I liked the way that you show your shift and growth through your experience in your piece due to your father's service in the military. I think that it is really special that you can bring about awareness of the hardwork that it put into military service and how troops should be better appreciated. I think that it is great that you can admire your dad so greatly also and that you feel strongly for our counrtyl.
Ur father is a good man. I love this story u an exclent job.
-Ashleigh perez
In describing how much your dad changed your views on life, you made this a very uplifting piece that put a smile on my face. Your use of description to describe how you felt your dad's absence really showed how you admire the people who go to war and are separated from their families for a long time, and also made this a story that opens our eyes to the sacrifices our troops make. Using chronological order really let the reader see how you gradually became more and more appreciative of what your dad was doing and more aware of what being a patriot means. In sharing your experience and how it changed you I think you are changing a lot of people in the same way. Really Great Job!
I love that you chose to write about the military and how your dad made a difference in other people's life. You had detail and very good descriptions! My absolute favorite thing about your story is the fact that you were able to gain so much more respect for the military with only having your gone for a month. Good job!
-Taylor Robles
This is such a great piece! The way you described not only your father's bravery for traveling to a war zone, but your increased knowledge and appreciation for the military and what your father did for them. I loved how you explained all the positive things your father did while being out overseas despite the area that he was in. This was very well written, and for you only being a freshman, you have great potential.
-Alexis Santiago
Not having any type of concrete relationship with our armed forces, its often difficult for me to see what our soldiers do for us. Thanks for sharing this with us and allowing us to see such an act from such a personal level. Your story was also very well written, with only a few mistakes here and there.
This piece was very informative, and made me think of things that I wouldn't normally consider. I know that there a numerous amount of men serving in the US military, your piece was was very informative, and I enjoyed it.
wow that's so cool I would want to do that /jakob cadena
This was a really good piece of writing that I just read and really got to me; the experience that you went though. These are the many things that change us in life and it feels good to be free!- Anthony Navarrete
I love your writing style! you don't agonize over every detail. I feel your story actually gets to the point; it feels as if it actually has progression. Also very inspiring subject.
-Erick Hollinquest
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