Our Story

Blake and I meet in Jr. High School (9th Gd.) people would tell us we would never last well I have to say after 16 yrs this Oct. we have been strong as ever.. Young love is a hard one but I know its can happen. Well I married the love on my life in April 2001 what a wonderful day :) We hard our first daughter Makiah in Oct 2002 I was 21yrs old and Blake was 20 yrs old, then we had our 2nd daughter Anika in May 2005. Blake joined the Army in Oct of 2005 and went off to basic for 3 months, then we moved to Kansas in March of 2006, It was hard to leave the family but it was good to get away at the same time to see the world and meet new people and just to be proud of the men and women in the military. Well in Feb 2007 Blake went off to war in Iraq while he was gone i had our 3rd child (our 1st son) Gunner in May of 2007 it was so hard to have Gunner a lone with our first two children Blake was right there with me every step of the way, getting bigger and fatter lol.. It was hard at times being away from family and having a new baby in Kansas and raising our children alone. But I and a Army sister (Heather Smith) told each other if our husbands can go off to war we can make it through this and we will be here for one an other and its not like the kids and I was alone we had a great Army Family and support.. Well when Blake was in Iraq he came home when Gunner was 2 weeks old for R&R and then after he went back he had to stay for an other 12 month it was hard cause Blake missed out on so much with Gunner. But in Feb. 2008 (2 months before he came home) his humvee was hit by an IED he got a TBI from it. After he came home from war he had changed as a person, husband, friend, brother, and etc. and you could tell every day he was different I really didnt think much of it cause i thought that they all had changed from seeing things and doing things from war. He went in for testing and thats when they told him he has TBI and PTSD so he went though all kinds of P/T (speech, balance, and etc.) then after 2 year they Medically Ret. him out of the Army. Those 2 year was so hard on him cause he had to leave his unit and go into WTB and watch all his friends go off to war again with out him. He felt like he failed as a soldier, his friends, family, and let the Army down. In all it was the war that did this to him.. He did not do this to him self, friends, family and etc. It was so hard to watch him go through this and it is still hard at times. And some people just dont understand it or what he has gone through. But soldiers with TBI's and PTSD you cant see there injure so people really dont understand it and its hard to tell people cause they think well if you cant see it there is nothing wrong with them, its all for show.. But that is so wrong, and most people could not go through what my husband and I and so many have went through. I have been told  by a SGT "your the strongest wife i know most wives cant handle all this stress and leave there husband and have left them." But I love him with all my heart and you'll do anything for him, well that's what love is. And to this day he has not got his Purple Heart that his unit said they would give it to him.. And after 2 1/2 years we have been fighting for it and I just keep hoping and praying he will get it. I have been told that there are soldiers out there that have broken a leg playing football in a war zone and they have got a Purple Heart. The Military up sets me at time cause the ones that should have it dont get it and then there are some that should not have it that get it. It just up setting to me.. But i will fight for what is right and just hope Blake will get it before he is to old or passed on (I know thats bad to say but there are soldiers from WWII that are getting there Purple Hearts and there not even here to be proud of it its just up setting) And Im very proud that Blake went to war and fought for our country and i also dislike the Military cause once your hurt they dont want anything to do with you and thats not right. So I want to start a support group here in my area to let other wives/husbands know there not alone and just be there for one an other, there is so many people that dont know what we go through on a day to day bases and its so hard for them to understand. So I want to help others get through this.... Thanks for reading this and God Bless You All & Your Family's