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Home Schoolers in the Military

Please Pray for Our Troops!

Christopher Kauffman

My husband has a son from a previous marriage.  He is stationed in Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.  He was sent to Iraq on Jan. 12th.  While Christopher was in a local high school, we began to add to our family.  We had Amanda, William and Matthew.  Now our children are old enough to understand that their older brother is overseas fighting in the war.  We miss him dearly and are told that he will be back in the U.S. by the beginning of June this year. 

Please pray for the troops and their safe return to their families that love them very much. 

Lance Corporal Ryan Miller – a Fallen Hero

On Thursday, September 14, 2006, the parents of Lance Corporal Ryan Adam Miller received the visit that every family of U.S. servicemen dreads. Three straight-backed, solemn Marine Corps Staff Sergeants brought the news that their son, Ryan, was killed in action near Barwana, Iraq.

The house that they visited was no ordinary home, nor was Ryan an ordinary young man. Ryan may have seemed a regular kid when he played baseball with the Dad’s Club and attended Pearland schools, but he had a special bond with his family and a desire to make a difference in this world. He came by this desire naturally. You see, the parents who answered that door were retired Houston Police officers, who had dedicated their lives and professional careers to defending our city against criminals who threaten our way of life. It is no small wonder that their youngest son, Ryan, would want to make his mark upon the world by placing his life on the line for freedom.

Ryan’s parents taught all of their children the value of God, family, and country – in that order. Ryan’s father, an iconic figure in the Houston Police Department’s Narcotics Division, served our city for over 34 years before retiring. Ryan’s mother, Jeannine Maughmer-Miller, spent the majority of her 25 year career protecting our youngest crime victims as an investigator in the Juvenile Division. She retired, but returned to Juvenile when she learned that the police department needed a few good retired officers – just as her son answered the call for a few good men.

Ryan’s parents supported their son’s decision to serve, celebrating the fact that he followed in his grandfather and father’s history of service in the Marine Corps. As a third-generation Marine, Ryan completed his Boot Camp training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on May 13, 2005, earning the rank of private first-class. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in December 2005 and deployed to Iraq in March 2006. Ryan was due to return to the United States within the next two weeks.

Ryan will return home sometime next week. He will receive a hero’s welcome by family, friends, and a grateful nation. He may never join the ranks of the Houston Police Department as he planned, but he is a member of our family in blue. His sacrifice will not be forgotten, nor given in vain. For he who lays down his life for another will be embraced in heaven and live in our hearts forever.

In the spirit of giving, that Ryan, his parents, his sister Meaghan, and brother, Brandon embody, the family asks that all expressions of condolence made in Ryan’s honor to help brother Marines injured in the line of duty.

All donations should be made to the Semper Fi fund at semperfifund.org

Hear his inspiring story...

Daniel Gleaton of Gainesville enlisted in the United States Army immediately after graduation in January 2005.  He completed his training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, deployed to Iraq on November 1, and celebrated his eighteenth birthday on November 17.  His main occupation in Operation Iraqi Freedom is that of Convoy Security.  One of his responsibilities is spotting IEDs (the little bombs hidden along the roadsides, among other places) while on convoy missions.  He is currently suffering from hearing loss and an extremely annoying high-pitched whining in one ear, incurred on a mission to Iraq.  Medication has not helped, so he will be evaluated for either a temporary or permanent hearing aid.  Please pray for restoration of his hearing if that is God's will.

You can send words of encouragement to Daniel at:

PFC Gleaton, Daniel E.

B BTRY 5/3 FA

1ST PLT

APO AE 09366

daniel.gleaton@us.army.mil

During a mission on November 22, [home school graduate] Jon Abels was seriously wounded in Iraq. His bullet-proof vest and helmet saved his life because he was shot ten times! Only four bullets entered his body. The most serious wound is to his right hand. John was sent to for surgery in Washington, D.C., at Walter Reid Army Hospital. They have done various surgeries every day, which left him exhausted and in a lot of pain. On Monday, John's condition was upgraded to fair condition. Several family members are traveling to D.C. to be with him.

In addition to his wounds, John is grieving the death of his Army roommate/best friend who was killed in an explosion three weeks ago.

U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul paid a visit to Jon.   Kelly Richardson, McCaul’s aid, said that Jon was in good spirits.  “I was very fortunate to be able to stand in the shadows and listen to his story.  He was open in his experiences on November 22.  He was very positive about the war that is going on over there and the fight against terror.”

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Our son, Kevin Bonney, is serving the US Army Infantry, assigned to the 101st Airborne Assault.  They are not at the post in Baghdad, but rather a forward base.  Please pray for the safety of his unit.

Thank you and God bless you.

Susan

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Austin Eubank is a 1999 home school graduate from Lubbock.  He has already been deployed and has recently been sent overseas again.  The following information was included in an email from the Eubank family to its prayer partners.

Please pray for Austin as he starts this new deployment overseas.  Pray for him and our other brave servicemen as they spend Christmas away from their loved ones back home.

Thank you for praying.

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David Price (Marine), being home schooled and from the valley, had to jump through hoops to provide everything the Marines wanted.  THSC helped with information on home schooling in Texas as did HSLDA.  He is Brownsville HOPE's first home school graduate in the military. David graduated early to enlist in the Marines.  His parents let him graduate on August 17, 2003, and signed papers for him to enlist the following Monday.  He enlisted in the DEP and left for boot camp on March 21, 2004.

He graduated from boot camp 18 months ago and is a Combat Engineer.  He says everything was worth it. He also thanked us for home schooling him.  He's on a MEU (location not disclosed for security reasons).  He recently came home on deployment leave.  He's lost many buddies and grieves for them.   Pray for all our troops.

Thank you for all that you do to help home schoolers across Texas.

Blessings,

Mike & Mimi Price

Brownsville HOPE members

Find out what you can do to show your appreciation and support to  these members of the military.