Originally published November 6, 2014
On November 6, 2013, Jennifer Langley faced one of the hardest days for any parent of a service member; she had to say “see you later” to her daughter, Aryanna Hesse, who was being deployed.
Before leaving for Afghanistan though, Aryanna asked Jennifer to take care of her most precious treasure — her 8 month old son, Caleb.
Her daughter was torn, Jennifer remembers, leaving little Caleb behind for them to protect and raise during the long deployment.
“I’ll always remember the tears in my daughter’s eyes when she had to close the car door,” she recalls, adding, “but Aryanna had a job to do.”
“Deployments are rough, “Jennifer admits, adding, “we cannot forget that the sacrifices these soldiers make don’t end just because they are home. ” Continue reading…