Dear Heroes,

To the Veterans in my family, I thank you for your service. You sacrifice has made me who I am today. You have served in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the War in Iraq. You have not only protected your family, but you have protected the whole country. You are not just my grandfathers, uncles, and adopted fathers, but you are America's heroes as well.

You have had to risk it all for your country and make decisions that were best for our country. Many times you have stared down own enemies and wonder if you were going to make it back home to your family, some sorry did not. You knew that every decision you made had an effect on, not only family at home, future generations you hadn't even met yet.

The decisions you made were for me, my brothers, and cousins. People you didn't even know but knew that you were going to love and protect one day. You made sure that your homeland and were protected. You will never really know how much we truly appreciate and love what you have done for us.

Some have paid the ultimate sacrifice and you were not able to home to your hero's welcome. To those that I have never met in my family, I want to truly thank you and tell you that I love you with all of my heart.

To the active duty in my family, I love you wherever you are stationed in the world. Whether it is here in the United States or overseas, I am thinking about you daily and praying for you all the time. You have been amazing friends and brothers to me and I will always appreciate that. You have always looked out for me and for that I am truly thankful. You guys have to keep it safe for our families to live their everyday life.

I often think about your sacrifice and time away from us when I look at the little kids in our families running around and living their innocent lives. They can live their lives in pure bliss and innocents because you are making sure that we are all protected her back at home. We feel your presence on holidays when we look around and you are not here with us. We pray for the safe return back to us.

To the future service men and women in my family, you do not know this yet- but you are our biggest heroes. I look at you now living your childhood in the best way possible. You do not know how big your sacrifice and contribution will be to the United States and our family.

You will carry on a tradition of defending and fighting for our freedom. To the ones that are not even born yet, we think of you every day and how you will move mountains. You will be the world changers and the people that help shape our future country. We protect and serve with relentless and will not give up until your mission is complete.

I want you to know I love you and forever proud of you!

Love,

The Family that is fighting beside you, every day