Happy 4th of July!

Well, anyone who knows me well knows that the 4th of July has long been one of my favorite holidays {and not just because my birthday is soon to follow :) }. This year, it brings about a whole new meaning for me. I've always been what I considered patriotic and very proud of our veterans and service men and women. My grandfather is a WWII veteran and one of the greatest men I know. I've always loved listening to his stories about his service in the Navy and the unique experiences that only the military can provide.

So, onto my feelings this year. This year I am overwhelmed with so many emotions. When I was one month old, exactly, my baby cousin David was born. We lived down the street from one another and spent more than a couple days getting into serious trouble. We grew up in one of those neighborhoods where we could roam around all day and come home for dinner. More often than not, we came home covered in mud, bugs and who knows what else.

Our days as a professional ring-bearer/flower girl duo.

Before we became school-aged, we were separated and my parents moved to the next state. David and I somehow always were able to pick things up right where we left off no matter how long it had been. We lost touch for a while during our adult life. Then, one day, out of the blue, I got a request from another family member to call David. Turns out, he was going to Iraq. David is a very special member of our military. He serves as an EOD technician on the bomb squad. Basically, this means he is very very smart and knows more about explosives than I probably know about my own children. David served his time in Iraq and returned to marry his amazing bride, Liz last June. This February, I got the call again. David was leaving for Afghanistan this time and had a day long layover in Pensacola, of all places. My kids were not even 2 months old yet, so I got family to come watch them and headed up to the airport to see David. Something was different this time. He knew it was a different situation than what he went into in Iraq, but he loves his job so much that all he could talk about was how excited he was to get the job done and get back home to Liz.

Liz, me and Jamie, David's sister, at my wedding 2 years ago

May 11, 2009 changed everything. David stepped on a land mine. Here's the story in his words from the U.S. Air Force website:


"My team was tasked to go out and dispose of a weapons cache that was called in by the Afghanistan National Police," Sergeant Flowers said. "We went out to the location and found a bunch of ordnance."

After finding the large cache, Sergeant Flowers found a smaller amount of ordnance in a different location.

"I found more ordnance around the corner from the courtyard and I was trying to find a way to move them to the larger cache," he explained. "I must've walked around that landmine at least once before I stepped on it."

In the explosion Sergeant Flowers lost his right leg below the knee. The blast also completely shattered his left, yet he remained conscious and made a life-saving decision. "

After I got hit, I was up against the wall of the courtyard and knew that I couldn't fall to the left because I hadn't been there and didn't know if there was another landmine," he said. "So, I decided to fall back into the blast hole."

His actions resulted in a multiple fracture in his right arm and wrist, but set him up perfectly for his team members and a medic to apply buddy care. "

My EOD team member ran over to help me, without even taking his own life into consideration," Sergeant Flowers recalled. "There were mines all over the place, but he came up to me and applied tourniquets to both my legs before the medic arrived. "

The medic was awesome," he said. "He is an Army specialist and he had to have been no more than 20 years old. Before he got there the idea had crossed my mind that I might not make it, but once he got there I knew I was going to be OK."


My entire family is so proud of David. We've been told that he doesn't want anyone to cry over him. Well, I promise you this David...I don't cry because I pity you or feel sorry for you. I know the road ahead is long, but you have a strong partner to stand by your side and a mountain of determination to rival Everest. I cry because I am so proud to call you my cousin. Our country is lucky to have amazing men and women like you who go to work every day and do a job that most of us wouldn't dream of doing. Oh, and I almost failed to mention that David has been honored with a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Air Force Combat Action Medal for his bravery and commitment to our country.






So this 4th of July, I thank you David. Thank you for giving all you had to give and protecting my precious little girls so that they might grow up in a country where they can be happy, healthy and free. I love you, David.