Friday, August 3, 2012

Saying goodbye to JP


Days before leaving for Anguilla, John Chris received word that his friend JP had passed.  He was in the Navy and deployed to Oman when the helicopter he was working in crashed.  Sadly, JP was one of two Americans that perished. 
When we arrived home from vacation, we re-packed and hit the road to Ruston.  It was an extremely hard weekend.  The funeral service was followed by a private burial.  As we rode to his final resting place, we were completely blown away.  The town had planned an absolutely amazing tribute.  People stood on the side of the road with flags, banners, and with their hands over their hearts.  For the approximately 15 mile journey, the streets were full of respectful mourners & patriots. 
We spent the rest of the weekend with family, friends, and JP's new wife, Jacquie.  I couldn't help but imagine what she was going through.  Only married about 3 weeks, before her husband was deployed and now not returning home alive.  Shocked, I can only imagine.  My mind keeps returning to one of the last conversations I had with her in February at their wedding reception.  She was talking about how her and JP were excited about starting a family and couldn't wait to started soon. 
My heart aches for her loss.

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