Deployment

Ben was a member of the JROTC in high school. He enlisted in the Army Reserves in the summer between our Junior and Senior year. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I began to worry when the USA became a target to a group of terrorists. They attacked us by hijacking planes and crashing them into the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001.

Once we graduated Ben went off to basic training. He got back in October 2001 and then received a call letting him know that his unit was being deployed. He was to report right after the new year, January 2003. He was there till the following March 2004.

While he was there we were able to write a few letters and he was even able to call me twice. Those calls were a very nice surprise. I missed talking to him and I was just hoping that he would be okay until he was able to come home.

These were some of the pictures he sent home while during his time in Operation Iraqi Freedom.