MAIL CALL!Supporting the Troops

I hope the Wednesday Hero posts encourage you to want to know a little more about the Hero being featured each week?

I think Indian Chris of   Right-Wing & Right Minded , the founder of the Wednesday Hero blogroll, does a great job of finding Heroes to be featured and getting the information out to the members of the Blogroll to post.

But I think the posts have to necessarily be just basic information, as the intent of the posts is to remind us that we have heroes among us, and point out who they are.

I have often done searches to try and find out more about the Hero being featured each week, and sometimes it isn't always possible to find out much more than what was posted on the Wednesday Hero blogroll post for that week.

In the case of this week's Hero, featured in the post below, something in the smile of Joseph A. Jeffries made me want to see what else I could find out about him. (And maybe it's also partly because I have a 21 year old son,myself.)

When I did a further search about Spc. Jeffries, this is what I found.

The first thing I came across was the tribute to him below, posted on a friend's MySpace profile

Heroes

My Hero Is My friend Joseph Allen Jeffries who died in Afghanistan fighting for our country. He was apart of the special forces of military. He always wanted to be in the army ever since he was little. He died at the age of 21 leaving behind his wife and son(joey allen jeffries jr.) and other members of his family who i am close with. He loved helping people and being around children. He is a true American Hero i miss him so much. At his memorial service alot of people came to show their respect at sunset high school. At his funeral about 200 people came. The Military and police did a good job of supporting his family by blocking off highway inorder for people to get to one place to another.

and his friend had also written a poem to him  here

I found out that he was the first Oregonian killed in Afghanistan in this article here

Click here: Oregonlive > Oregonian > Farewell to the Fallen

I found some words by his wife,Betsy, in this article from 2005 here, which says that she was 5 months pregnant with their first child when Joseph was killed.

Click here: DefenseLink News Article: Widows of Combatants Killed in Iraq, Afghanistan Meet

and in the same article I found a picture of Betsy, and the son that Spc. Jeffries never met, Joseph A. Jeffries,Jr.

Unexpectedly, I found some words by his father here  Click here: Sgt Hook - This We’ll Defend » Blog Archive » Vote

And lastly, I found more tributes to him on his Legacy.com page

Click here: Guest Book - Joseph Jeffries

The quote by Gen. George S. Patton that is featured each week on the Wednesday Hero blogroll

 We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

I think best sums up how I feel now, after finding out more about this week's Wednesday Hero. While I am saddened by the death of this young man, who was obviously loved by so many, in the serviceof our country.......I am also thanking God that someone like him lived,

and that I had the opportunity and privilege to find out more about him, because of the Wednesday Hero post.

My deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Spc. Joseph A. Jeffries.

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