Once upon a time there was a high school female who stumbled upon Air Force Junior Reserve Office Training her freshman year. That girl went on to study military science and history. On Wednesdays instead of worrying about what she was going to wear to school she wore her uniform….never the skirt, always the pants. That skirt had a way of poofing out in all the wrong places. That girl ended her senior year with a choice: a four-year-scholarship from the Air Force awaited her acceptance. The stipulations were that she major in a limited choice of areas (Mathematics, Biology), and that she serve her country for an additional 4 years after that. It was the limited content area for a choice of a major that made this girl decline her scholarship and leave the world of military.
That girl is me. And little did I know that the military would be a huge part of my life despite my not going forward with it. You see, my brother joined the Marines at the age of 17. My parents signed the paperwork to get him in early. Yes, he was enlisted before he could legally vote in our country.
My brother served three tours of duty in Iraq/Afghanistan. In that time he became an adult who has witnessed life …. and death. Those of his family in the United States were glued to the TV, because that was a time when news coverage showed what our brave soldiers were going through. We did not know where he really was since he couldn’t call home often. But we wrote him letters and sent care packages. I didn’t always know what to say, but he told me that he enjoyed each of my letters.
My brother is still in the military, but he is working on being medically discharged. You see, he was injured in a car bomb explosion and is left with PTSD, night tremors, and migraines that leave him in bed for 12-18 hours at a time. Those are the big “issues” he faces but he sometimes tell me that every major part of his body hurts in some way. My brother is 27-years-old.
Each holiday that we spend remembering or celebrating our nation’s bravest is a time when I sit down with my girls and tell them about how brave our military men and women are. It is hard to not get teary as I think about it. We truly are an amazing country and the selfless sacrifices that others make for our freedom is amazing. Our soldiers need to know how much we care about and appreciate them.
Cheerios is working on a great initiative called sendCheer. By purchasing specially marked boxes of Cheerios cereal you will be able to cut out a “Cheer” postcard to mail to military families through a partnership with the USO. Cheerios invites you to show your appreciation by sending a simple “thank you” using the “Cheer” postcard found on the front of specially marked boxes of Cheerios in stores through mid-November. Simply write a little note, add postage, and drop the pre-addressed post card in the mail. The rest will be taken care of and a soldier will receive the card. It makes me so happy that I am helping spread the word about this campaign. It’s as easy as buying a box of Cheerios and a stamp to bring a smile to the face of someone who deserves it!
I know that many of us would like to send cards to members of the military, but we have no address to mail them to. This campaign provides that (and more). The next time you see a big yellow box of Cheerios go ahead and grab it (even if it is not on sale and you do not have a coupon).
Stay tuned for another sendCheer post. We will be sending cheer in a big way!
Disclaimer: This post has been compensated as part of a sponsored charitable opportunity for Collective Bias. All opinions are my own.
Leandrea is a married mom of two girls, ages 13 and 12, living in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about helping people save money one coupon at a time. Read more
Wonderful post. My brother, too, came home from one of his tours in Iraq with PTSD. He was in Fallujah when everything happened. Thanks so much for sharing your brother’s story.
Wonderful, wonderful post. Many thoughts, prayers and THANKS to your brother for his many years of service.