Just days ago, Robert Morgan was flying Marine One.
He is now in Iraq.
He left his family here in the United States on August 2nd. Those lucky enough to be considered his friends received his first email from Iraq this morning. I just finished reading it. Rocky walked in and asked why I was crying and I could barely get the words through my constricted throat. I said, "I just can't imagine leaving you all here. I just don't know if I could make that sacrifice."
I know, intellectually, that thousands do this every day. But I don't know them. I know Robert. Robert is the Son-In-Law of Joe Fenton, our VP Sales and Marketing. Joe is extremely proud of Robert. As he should be. It takes a special person to be cleared to fly the President of The United States of America. Robert is special.
And Joe is extremely proud of his daughter. She has the unenviable responsibility of "holding down the fort" while he does his tour in Iraq. Like many others whose loved ones are sent off to foreign countries to serve, she is left without her soul mate, her partner. And their children are left without their father. I can't even think about it right now without welling up. Because I know her too.
Robert, will receive my email response soon. I wanted him to know I was thinking about him. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated the sacrifice. I wanted him to know that I'd NEVER be able to pay him back.
If you know someone like Robert, then you are as blessed as I am.
Join me in letting them know how much they are appreciated.
Jeff Turner aka respres
Tell Joe I'm proud of his son. :o)
I have a friend in Afghanistan. That's it, I'm going to have to send him cookies and movies!
I could not do this either -- it takes special people to keep us all safe. Thanks to all of them, and the ones at home missing them.
what else can be said?
Thank you for sharing~
We owe the Robert Morgans of the country everything. I, for one, worship the ground they walk on. I support them unequivocally for what they are and what they do. We owe our military everything.
I look forward with eagerness to the day our men and women will not have to make this sacrifice anymore. Let's all pray to that end and continue to show our love and appreciation to those that make such a sacrifice.
Fran
Proud mother of an Iraqi War Veteran
What a lovely tribute to Robert. Is he flying Airforce One ? Special prayers thanks to Robert and Joe and his daughter. It sounds trite but we really do appreciate and honor the men and woman serving on the front lines for our County.
My older brother has sent three of his sons over to Irag and they have all returned safely. My brother is a Viet Nam vet and it's tough to see loved ones leave with the reality you may never see them again.
Jeanette, Missy and Jay... thank you for stopping by and adding your voice.
Missy... Robert's last tour was flying Marine One, or HMX-1, the helicopter that flies the President. He is now stationed at Al Qa'im.
Jay... please pass on my thanks to your brother and his family.
Jeff your heart is as big as your baby blues ... I always cling to every word when you show your heart!
It is simply the most valuable asset our country has right now--and each and every soldier from each and every service branch is deserving of our support!
Jeff,
We are close to Fort Bragg so many of the people in our area are deployed, returning from a deployment, or about to depart. I am proud of the sacrifice each one of our service members makes for our freedom. I look forward to a time when they will be able to return. The year my husband spent in Korea was hard on me and our son and that was at a time when he was serving in a safe area. I cannot imagine what families who haved loved ones in harm's way are going through. Tell Robert that we are all praying for his safe return!
What an unselfish person Robert must be. And each and everyone of us owe all the Robert's and Roberta's our heartfelt thanks for giving of themselves to allow the rest of us to live free and safe.
Jeff, please pass on my appreciation.
Jeff, just reading this brings tears to my eyes. It's a scary world we live in and knowing that there are men like Robert makes it "liveable".
Bella was so excited to see him....And he was so thrilled how happy she is with us. Great guy, great dog!
Ginger
Jeff:
I cannot add any new or different thoughts to the responses you have already received. All I can say is YES, we all owe a debt to these young folks, they should be in our prayers EVERY NIGHT.
Hi Jeff,
It is plain as day that this young Man is in a Caliber all of his own. It makes all our FLAWS stand out. God knows, where we would be without the Roberts of today.
Thanks Jeff.
Jeff, one of my agents just sent her son to Army basic training. She knows where he will probably go next. She had to take a "crying day".
There are literally millions of people who are making sacrifices during this war.
Thanks for bringing one to our attention.
Hi Jeff,
I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the "Roberts" who choose to protect and serve this nation. It is an honor to know him. Let Robert know that we support him and thank him and all personnel who have been deployed all over the world for their service to our great nation.
Jeff,
Thanks for the wake up call. We read the paper and see the news, but it becomes so personal when it's a brother, a sister, a friend, etc. Thanks for sharing your story. We collect $$$ every Tuesday at our MLS marketing meeting for postage to mail the troops socks, Otter Pops, beef jerky, etc. They appreciate it so much.
Jeff,
Thank you for writing this post. We don't give enough to the men and women that do sacrifice so much to do a horrible job.
I was one of those family members for about 30 years. My husband served in Korea (during the conflict), Viet Nam and several others that weren't tauted as big. While my husband was gone (he was a pilot) I never slept through the night. Why? Yes, I missed him, but I also heard every sound outside my bedroom window hoping it wasn't the officers that come to inform us something terrible has happened to our loved ones. It is not the way to live. The fear is with you constantly. Yes, I was very proud of him, and yes you live with a prayer in your heart, but so much is lost that will never be gotten back. Time with each other, the children and the growing that is part of the love and relationship of marriage.
They do make such a huge sacrifice, and it is all for us.
GOD BLESS THEM ALL AND MAY THEY ALL COME HOME WHOLE AND SAFE.
I work with military families frequently due to my close proximity to Camp Lejeune Marine base in Jacksonville, N C. I am always amazed at the courage of these families. The sacrifices are tremendous and numerous. Perhaps, the most important thing that has come from my job as an Realtor® is my appreciation and respect for the military. Which reminds me, I have not done a post about them in a while--one will be coming soon. Thank you for this post.
We have a LARGE American Flag flying high in our yard to honor the men and women protecting our front line. I am proud to see this email and how inspired you are to have a dear friend representing the greatest nation in the world. We absolutely need more men and women like your friend Robert. Please, send him our sincere gratitude as we sleep soundly night after night...
Robert in the news:
Air Operations Marines ensure Al Qaim operations run smooth
In case anyone is still watching... this video cam from Robert on Thanksgiving day... great stuff. His son's preschool class sent care packages, lots of them, and it was a major hit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzBtpLTKWqU