Matthew is 21 years old. He returned from Afghanistan in March, 2011 after stepping into an IAD. (land mind). He is a super sharp minded young man. So, what happened?
After hearing about a member of his squad stepping on an IAD, he was part of a search party to rid their area (which is not mentioned) of IADs. After hours of searching, he found one....
Until this weekend I had never met him, never knew anything about him. Fortunately for me and our volunteers at Tonkawaya Ranch, we had the opportunity to spend the weekend with him and his mom. What a great blessing for us!
The reason I am writing about Matthew is because I know there are many young Warriors like him. Bright, attractive, young men and women with the world ahead of them. AND THEY VOLUNTEER TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY TO KEEP OUR FREEDOMS! Need I say anything else?
But I will. I will say that Matthew is an amazing young man, again. I will say that his attitude is better than mine. He lost part of one limb, and shattered his other leg. He is healing. His mom is healing. His life will be different. And he is ready for that challenge, that new time, that change that comes without asking.....
I learned from Matthew and his mom. I hope that Joe and I and our wonderful volunteer family gave a small gift to him compared to what he gave us. He has a beautiful smile. He is an awesome marksman (wish I could show you the skeet shoot this time, but I didn't photograph! Matt out-did everybody! He didn't miss a shot- which I thank God for as I know he was protecting my life in Afghan!) He has the best attitude, determination, and plans for life. I would be proud to name him a member of my family.
Matt's mom raised him well. Polite, articulate, knowledgable, and more worldly than I will ever be. And POSITIVE. He will do well in this life.
And he blessed mine.
Please say a prayer for our soldiers. Most of them are as awesome as Matt. I say most, because Matt is so special, it is hard to imagine an army of folks like him. God Bless. Thank you, Lord, for Matt and others who serve as he does. Amen.
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