Are You Ready for Military Week?

Tomorrow kicks off Military Week here on Through the Grapevine.  If you haven't yet "heard through the grapevine", my intention for next week is to share stories with you on a few aspects of what military life has been like for my family over the last few years.  In doing so, it is my hope that you will gain a greater appreciation for what military families go through during the deployment cycle - before, during and after the deployment of a soldier. 

Along the way, I also hope to provide you some information, education, and of course ENTERTAINMENT!  And let's not forget the mid-week FREE STUFF event. 

Big deal. Good stuff.

To set the stage for the upcoming week, I would like to share with you a video that was given to the soldiers in my husband's National Guard unit as a "thank you" gift from their FRG [Family Readiness Group].  Each soldier was presented with a DVD of this video from the FRG after their return home from Iraq.  As family members of soldiers, whether wives or husbands, mothers or fathers, sisters, brothers or children, our lives are directly impacted when a soldier is deployed.  A successful mission when a soldier is deployed requires the support of that soldier's family back home.  As supportive family members, this DVD was our way of thanking our soldiers, letting them know how much we appreciate every sacrifice they make, and reinforcing what a wonderful job they did in Iraq.

The video itself may take a few moments to load, depending on your computer speed.  Please be patient and know that it is worth it.  If need be, wait for the video to completely buffer before beginning viewing.  The video is approximately 23 minutes long.  I have been told it's worth the wait and the time. 

PLEASE feel free to share the video via this blog link.

Thank you all for your support during this upcoming week.  My family and my soldier appreciate your time and interest.

Video link:

 

Minnesota National Guard 34th ID Red Bulls OIF 2009-11