Without question, Joe and the guys in Framingham, stay in our hearts and memories. They always go above and beyond to share their respect, dedication, respect for, and support of, our troops. It is an honor to come here, and we anticipate this stop as long as they are willing to have us.
As I write, we are actually staying the Barton Family. Karen is the Ombudsman for her husband Paul's Seabee unit -- the NMCB 18. We adopted this unit, and Karen even flew in to help for the PackOut. As if that weren't enough, they have family ties to Framingham, and after Paul's deployment, they went back to present a unit coin and shirts to show their appreciation. Truly made this one from Hero to Hero.
We have a lot to write about on this stop and will do so very soon, but we wanted to get the photos up before the next meet & greet (in an hour).
Update: So the meet & greets went very well. We tried to upload all the photos this morning, but the computer gremlins had a better idea. Sigh.
As I look through the photos, it brings back all of the great feelings from the Framingham visit.
These guys are class all the way. From the moment we come off the turnpike, they are with us. We have never come into, or left this city without a truly impressive escort. And it is not just the fire department. this is one of those stops, like Sarnia, that involves all of the hometown departments.
We get to see friendly, familiar faces who make this all the more memorable ... and at least one of them was in diapers when last we visited.
We stayed in the firehouse here, and had a really fun surprise at a local pub, Pepperoncini's. Joe came out in his kilt & Seabee shirt, with his pipes. Lovin' that! The police dropped by, and their CSI agent did a fun photo op with Rookie, Chief, and Sharen.
During the evening's events, our heroes surprised us with a cake adorned with a version of last year's "It's official" flyer. Totally cool! But we also had a surprise for them, as they were the first of this year's "Eagle's Honor" recipients ... There were only three awarded!
Framingham, Joe ... and EVERYONE who made this the special event it was ... We thank you all sooooooooo much for the outstanding support you give us. It is visits such as this, that refills our spirit when the road gets long. You make us feel like family!
Enjoy, and Framingham ... We love ya!!!
lj & the road crew
PS ... Benjamin, Mrs R says hello!!
1 comment:
It could be me or my computer but I did not get any pictures with this post on Framington. Bill
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