This week, while the Knight and I were working in the yard one morning, the unmistakable sound of helicopters suddenly filled the air. I stopped what I was doing and looked skyward. The sound became louder and louder, and finally the first helicopter came into view, quickly followed by a second, then a third . . . .
In all, there were eight of them. Black military helicopters. They were flying in a kind of staggered formation. They came from the north, flew over Provo to the east of us, and headed south towards Springville and Spanish Fork. I felt that I had just witnessed something special. Wow!
I wondered what they were doing and where they were going. Before the day was over, I knew the answers to my questions. The eight Blackhawks plus 66 National Guard Troops were on their way to Texas, and from there they were going to Afghanistan for a one-year deployment.
The following are photos from the Deseret News:
The front page photo of this Deseret News story was of the boy crying. All I could think was, “I pray your father returns home safely.” I don’t think most of us appreciate the monumental sacrifices made by these families.
The Deseret News article, "Utah Guard Blackhawk crews bound for Afghanistan," was written by Steve Fidel. The photos were by Revell Call.
3 comments:
Wow, that picture just killed me...
PS:
I was right when I felt I was witnessing something very special.
I have several friends with spouses in the military and I know how hard it is on the family to have a parent overseas. I think it takes a great deal of strength and even more faith for these families.
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