Remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice
I want to wish you and your family a happy Memorial Day weekend from all of us at TuttleHandyman.com . This weekend is for thinking about the brothers that I served with that were lost in service to our country. I like to reflect on my service to this country with these patriots.
At my first duty station in Sigonella, Italy we lost a helicopter that had five service members on it. My Executive Officer was one of the servicemen who perished. His brother had also died in a helicopter crash a few years earlier. Can you imagine the pain that family has endured? I learned about a year ago that my XO’s son was a midshipment at the Naval Academy and commissioned as an officer….just like his Dad and Uncle.
My next tour was in Ramadi Iraq, and the unit that I was attached to lost 15 soldiers, sailors and marines. In all we took over 100 casualties. It was a hard fight but we overcame. I was tasked to implement electronic IED countermeasures. I joined these patriots in the middle of their tour and was finished with my tour before most of the battalion was allowed to rotate back. This was the time when Army units were forced to extend to a 15 month tour vice their usual 12 month tour. This was extremely hard on the men and women there and was a gut punch to their families.
When I rotated back the United States, I next went to Corpus Christi to teach flight school. While there, two of our squadron’s flight instructors died in an airplane crash. The airplane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico just of the coast of San Jose Island. Both men left families behind and I know their families dearly miss their Dads. Additionally, another mishap occurred while I was in Corpus.
When I was in flight school at Whiting Field, I was paired with 2 other people. One a Marine and the other was a Naval Officer like myself. All three of us were in separate helicopter crashes. Rob, the Naval Officer, died in a crash in the Atlantic Ocean. John Paul (JP),the Marine Officer, lived but sustained burns that ended his flying dream. In my crash, the whole crew had back injuries but everyone lived. Two of the crew went on to fly again and two were medically retired.
How you can honor these servicemen
It was an absolute privilege to serve with these men. If you are reading this post, I only ask that you take a moment to think about the sacrifice that some men/women/families have endured. I also that you hold our politicians/elected officials accountable when they send our boys off to war. Please make sure that it is absolutely necessary!
The Uvalde School Shooting
Also this week we had the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Being from Texas (originally), my heart goes out to this community. I have been to Uvalde on occasion and it is your typical Texas farm/ranching community. I hate that this incident is being politicized for an attack on the 2nd amendment. Unfortunately, this country has a mental illness problem and this may not be the last incident to target our kids.
Lastly, I think that I can honor these men and women (and kids) best by spending this time with my family and thinking about them. I hope that anyone reading this post is also having a good Memorial day.
What’s going with Tuttlehandyman.com
Obviously, I have taken Memorial day off to relax and remember. This upcoming week, I will continue to tweak the website. Business cards and signs will be a priority. I am really enjoying building this business and have learned a lot. Lessons learned will be passed on through this blog, so stay tuned. I cannot wait to see what this business will look like in a month or two. The process has been ongoing for about two weeks so far.
