{almost} North Country Smith's: July 2011

John Senor, Jason, and Adam Bates

Last night we had the privilege of attending the 2011 Ranger Rendezvous BBQ here at Ft. Benning. It was bittersweet since the majority of our close Ranger friends are currently deployed, but it was still great to catch up with those that are home and were in attendance. We didn't expect to see so many people we knew!! Many of our own 1/75 wounded were there, some with family. It was great to catch up with them and see their progress. It's so amazing seeing many of them recovering at Walter Reed soon after their incident and then to later run into them and see the progress. Last night was the first time I've seen Adam Bates up on his prosthetics, I will forever stand in awe of him and his positivity through this process. He told us about how on Monday he got to do a HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) jump tandem at 8,000 ft. How awesome?!?! We visited with Kristi and her son, Austin… friends of ours from B co. We spent some time talking with John Senor, one of B Co's great supporters. Adam Bates then introduced all of us to SFC Leroy A. Petry, a recent Medal of Honor Recipient. You can read his story here: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3479/petry-leroy-a.php I'm glad Gavin and Austin were there to meet and hang out with these men... what great examples of heroism, bravery, strength, selflessness, and positive character!

After the BBQ we took the kids home to a sitter and went downtown to The Marriott/Houlihans to continue visiting with everyone. We were able to spend more time talking in depth with everyone. Jason and I met and talked with Sue Peney, mother of Jonathan Peney, who was KIA in 2010. I'm glad we got the opportunity to meet and talk with her.

Here are some pictures from our evening: