On Sunday I had the honor of meeting my fifth anysoldier.com contact in the five years that I have been supporting the troops. She is from Whitewater, WI and happened to be in Madison for the Badger game while home on leave. Since I spent the weekend down there too, we made plans to meet for lunch.
Captain Theresa Giorno and her boyfriend, James--who is also in the Army--both returned in August from deployments in Kuwait and Iraq. Theresa had received one of my cards from an Anysoldier "card swap", and she sent me a picture and letter at Christmas. I wrote back and continued sending her letters and packages--including Valentine's Day, her 25th birthday in May, her promotion to Captain in June...and she wrote back in response to every one.
Meeting her and James was just like my other get-togethers in the past: a real thrill!! She brought me a big bottle of wine, and I gave her a picture frame. We talked for an hour and a half about her experiences overseas, her family, and her new Boston terrier puppy, Achilles. Theresa reads my blog and I read hers, so we already knew a lot about each other--but a face-to-face conversation and a hug are still the best!!
After taking care of a soldier for several months, they become a part of your family. The ones who continue to stay in touch after they come back show just how much the support from home meant to them while they were deployed. We have been invited to two weddings, and I also feel like an honorary grandma to Taylor J. and Dreyden S., both two years old, after supporting their dads through two deployments so far. I haven't met either of them yet, but I know we will some day.
Thanks, Theresa and James, for your service to our country and for taking the time to meet me. Welcome home!!
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