He Served, We Served
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Thomas is also trying to be strong but there are tears in his eyes as he kneels down to hug his daughter. “Daddy, I don’t want you to go!” Summer cries. “Pumpkin, this is daddy’s job, this is what I do. You have to be strong for me ok?” Summer throws her arms around her daddy’s neck and cries. “Ok daddy, I will be strong.” “I am going to miss you so much” she says. “I am going to miss you too pumpkin.” I can no longer hold back my tears. This is the most heartbreaking scene I have ever witnessed. This little six-year-old girl is so much a daddy’s girl and it is so sad for her to worry about her father and have to wonder if she will ever see him again. “Daddy, you are coming back aren’t you?” she asks him. “ I sure am pumpkin” He holds her tightly.
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About the Book
Sheila Melvin is the mother of a United States Infantryman—Specialist Thomas Watkins. Tom was called to serve in Afghanistan. Needless to say, he saw terrible things: horrific explosions, loss of friends, and suicide bombers. He saw things most of us will never see, and he came home safe—but suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It goes to show that war can follow you home … Afghanistan is only a part of Tom and Sheila’s lives. First, Tom was born; then, Tom grew up. It was over the course of his youthful years that Tom became the brave, young man who served his country overseas. Despite the distance, his mother was with him—in thought and via telephone and Internet. Sheila even started “Letters from Home,” a website developed so that soldiers could have a way to communicate while deployed. War is hell, but being a mother separated from her child is even worse. Deployment not only takes a toll on the soldier; it takes a toll on the entire family. He Served, We Served is the story of one family’s trials, but their story is for any enlisted soldier. Every soldier deserves to have his or her story told. Every soldier deserves our thanks and prayers. Every solder deserves to come home safe, healthy, and ready to live a life of love.
About the Author
Sheila Melvin studied journalism and creative writing at Polk Community College in Winter Haven, Florida, before she switched her major to nursing. She has written poetry and song lyrics for the last thirty years. The mother of three, she currently lives in Georgia with her husband.