A Day for Remembering...

On this day, we do not have words to express our sincere gratitude to those who have unselfishly sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our beautiful country and the individuals in it. We want to take this opportunity to thank and honor the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, the true heroes, so that others would have opportunity to walk in freedom. On this day may you be comforted with peace and the gratitude of those around you. May we never forget that freedom is not free, and has been paid for with a high price.

It's amazing to us that we are surrounded every day by heroes, who without quest for recognition, have sacrificed so much for us. One of our heroes is our grandpa Sgt. Arthur "Jack" Hamilton, who miraculously survived 3 beach head landings, including one where he received a telegram that his first daughter had been born just moments before the door went down to leave the boat. The book "Rock of Anzio" details the movements and battles of his group. We are continously amazed that Grandpa (and all others who have served in war) have been witness to unspeakable atrocities and yet somehow manage to live lives full of love, compassion, kindness, and gentleness. This is heroic. Last weekend while in Napa (blog post coming soon...) Damion had a chance to view one of the many scrapbooks that Grandma compiled during the years that Grandpa was at war. There are letters, telegrams, hotel receipts, photos (of course :) and so many well preserved artifacts from the time period that we thought you might like to see a few bits. All the photos shown here are from those records, preserved for over 66 years.

We cannot say thank you enough for the commitment, bravery, and unselfishness that is demonstrated by the men and women who have served or are serving in the United States Armed Forces. You have earned our undying respect and gratitude and you are in our prayers.