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I'm a twenty-nine year old Army wife currently living near a large Army post. I have an unhealthy obsession with Dr. Pepper, the Internet, cloth diapers, and ridiculous TV shows. I'm a stay at home mom to two beautiful daughters, AJ and Amelia. We also have a 6 year old beagle named Abby who is as dumb as a box of rocks.
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Friday, October 1, 2010

Remembering

If you remember my post from 9/11 you'll recall that I wrote about remembering where I was when I found out what happened. I likened the situation to the way our parent's remember where they were when JFK was shot, and our grandparent's when Pearl Harbor was attacked. These are moments that shook the foundation of our nation. As a group we can all recall where we were, how we felt and the aftermath of the tragedy.

I also think that as individuals we all have personal moments like those I mentioned above. For me, it was October 2, 2004. I was a Junior in college, watching a football game at a bar when I saw that I had a missed call from my mom. I remember thinking that it was weird that she would be calling me on a Saturday morning because she knew that I'd be watching the game/drinking/not able to talk. I think deep down I knew something was wrong. I remember telling my friend that I needed to call her back because I knew something was wrong.

I stepped outside the bar to call her and as soon as I heard her voice my gut feeling was confirmed. She didn't even have to say it for me to know that something terrible had happened. When she spoke the words my heart started beating faster. I denied it. Immediately, I said, no.

"Beth, Jack was killed in Iraq."

No. No. No.

Jack was a friend from the neighborhood that I grew up with. We worked together. We hung out. We were friends. We grew up together.

He was the funniest kid I've ever met. He enlisted in the Army after high school. He had deployed to Iraq with the 1 CAV out of Ft. Hood, TX. He was shot and killed while working at a highway checkpoint outside Baghdad, Iraq. He was 21 years old. He was a lot of things to a lot of people, brother, son, nephew, friend.

It has been 6 years, and he is not forgotten. We will always remember you, Jack.

"Life is short, play hard!"
-SGT Jack T. Hennessey, USA
KIA 1 OCT 2004, Baghdad, Iraq

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing his story. SO important to remember.

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  2. What a sad thing to have happen :( I can see why you would always remember that day.

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  3. We don't forget our friends who were killed either. God Bless Our Fallen Heroes and prayers to you.

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  4. We will keep his family and friends and you in our prayers Beth. Thanks for sharing the memory of a hero!

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  5. This story hit close to my heart, and while I read, and tried to put myself in your shoes throughout the story, I found myself with tears falling down my face. Thank you so much for sharing this. One of the most important things i've learned since being a MilSpouse is that EACH and EVERY soldier is an individual with a name, with friends and parents and children, and it makes me so much more proud of all of them. God bless you and God bless Jack's family.

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