WOW moments

There are certain times in life when something happens and you sit back and wonder, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? We just had one of those.

At the beginning of this week, I got a phone call from a retired Master Gunz stating he needed urgent help for a young wounded warrior in our state. I won't go into deep detail on what has happened to this young man but he was in a dire situation. He was wounded in 2008, medically retired out in 2010. A series of very unfortunate things have happened to him.

The Master Gunz called us because he lives out of state and he knows of what Taylor does and come to find out, we only live about an hour away from this Marine. So, I made a phone call to this Marine and we talked. At first, he was very humble and not forth coming with information, when I told him what I knew, he kind of cracked just enough to let me know how bad things were. I was on the phone all night long networking with people and help starting pouring in that night for him. I talked with the Marine again the next day and while we were talking, he told me that my name kept coming into his head. Now this young man suffers from TBI and PTSD and I was thinking to myself that his TBI was the reason why he was having a hard time and he had just gotten overwhelmed very quickly with help coming in and I had talked to him several times. and that is why my name kept coming into his head.

He then said to me something that made my jaw literally drop. He asked me if I had a daughter named Taylor and I told him yes, we had talked about her the night before. He said he remembered that, but that he also remembered something else.

Last year, Taylor was invited out to CA for an Iwo Jima reunion in San Fransisco (I have YET to blog about that!) But while there, it was set up for her to visit the wounded at the Palo Alto Poly Trauma unit. This young Marine told me he remembered my name and Taylor because HE WAS ONE OF THE WOUNDED WE VISITED!!

I was completely shocked. How can Taylor have gone to visit wounded warriors all the way out in CA and almost exactly a year later, in her own state, a plea came to her to help out a fellow Marine and it turns out to be one that she met and visited in CA??? We feel this has happened for a reason and it is so much of a WOW moment, that we have now adopted this young man into our family.

We will give him all the support we can, we will help him in all the ways that we can, we will not ever let him be alone nor feel abandoned again, he will never go hungry, he will know someone does care. Why? Because he IS a Marine, Taylor is a Marine and they never give up on one another and they never leave one behind. They were brought back together and I have a feeling, this is just the start of many good things to come this young man's way.......Taylor has many plans for him!

On a side note* When Taylor did her big blanket drive and sent everything to Afghanistan, a Major from one of those units is now living in our state and we have been able to talk and he and Taylor are finally going to meet! She sends stuff to Afghanistan and gets to meet someone from that? Sure are some feel good moments going on with Taylor right now!

Updates???

Well, I shamefully looked at my last update and it was in Sept. I said then I would add pictures and update on everything and it didn't happen. I have gotten several emails asking what Taylor has been up to and or if she has stopped her support because there has been no updates to see. The answer is........GET REAL!!!!! If anyone has to ask if Taylor has 'stopped' well you just don't even know my little Gunny do you?!

My health took a not so nice turn and I have just been busy with work and on the brink of exhaustion and my brain just doesn't have the get up and go it had a while back, but I am working on getting back to normal. While it may have stopped me from posting updates, rest assured, Taylor STILL IS FIGHTING FOR HER MARINES, the wounded, ALL military and veterans.

She just turned 17, how can that be? She wasn't even supposed to make it and here she is, 17 years later, taking care of what needs to be taken care of and doing it with complete conviction in what she is doing. Each day with her is a gift, we know this. Some days are much better then others, but she is here and that is what we focus in on. She is here with us, trying to make the world a better understanding world for our military. Trying to make the world understand our heroes, past and present. Trying to make the world see that they must stand behind our troops and do the right thing and SUPPORT.

I am so sorry I have neglected this blog and I have neglected to write down the many wonderful things she has experienced in the last year and the heroes that have crossed her path, whether it be her seeking them out or them seeking her out. I WILL TRY TO DO BETTER!