332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron
Staff Sgt. Kara Opperman performs a quality control check Feb. 13 on fuel coming out of a fill stand at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Sergeant Opperman ensures the fuel is safe and meets Air Force specifications before it is used for aircraft and equipment.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.
Another heroine and her husband are deployed to Iraq together. Their 20 yr old daughter takes care of the other five daughters ranging in age from 3 to 17. (Although, after reading the article, I thought maybe her daughter should get a medal).
The girls say Delgadillo is more lenient than their mother. But if anyone messes up, Iraq is only an e-mail away.
“My mom is still the law in this house,” Delgadillo says.
“She’s just far away. The only difference is that now she does her yelling in all caps.”
Straight out of basic training, then-Spc. Sanders deployed to Iraq in 2003 in the early stages of the conflict--but it was not until April 4, 2004, that he faced his greatest challenge on the battlefield. A platoon of 20 men was trapped deep within Sadr City, which was in the midst of an uprising. Sgt. Sanders’s tank crew and two others from his unit were called to aid the rescue.
The first two attempts failed, and during the second, Sgt. Sanders took a bullet through his left shoulder. Sanders waved the medics away, and instead hopped on another tank for a third rescue attempt, one which pushed through numerous firefights and impromptu roadblocks, such as burning tires and washing machines, to reach the stranded men. Sanders told the Chicago Tribune later, “All I needed was a Band-Aid.” Because Sanders’s unit had previously been scheduled for transport, the tanks were carrying a minimum load of ammunition. At one point Sanders ran out of ammo and resorted to throwing rocks and anything else he could find at the enemy. Sanders was awarded the Silver Star in October 2004.
Tanker Gets Silver Star
- May no soldier go unloved
Soldiers' Angels: Adopt a Soldier
