Monday, December 01, 2008

Purple Heart.

I don't often talk about my extended family much publically (mostly to protect their privacy) but I just have to break that a bit for today and tell my nephew, Pvt. Brent Carroll, how very proud I am of him. 

Brent went into the Army and completed basic training early in the spring and was almost immediately deployed overseas. I know some of you were there standing next to me at CHA Summer when I got the call that Brent was missing in action.  It seemed his unit had been attacked and not only were a number of men (boys, really) killed, quite a few went missing as well.  Brent was one of those.  He was recovered a day or so later (getting info from the military is like pulling teeth at times), physically ok, but mentally scarred. Even though Brent could have taken leave to come home for a while, he chose to stay in the combat situation. His particular job requires that he scout ahead of his unit for Taliban locations and then report back. On one of his recent missions, the Taliban opened fire on his scouting group and killed them all and seriously injured Brent. Brent returned fire and defeated the remaining Taliban.

For his extraordinary bravery and valor in the line of duty, on Veteran's Day, Pvt. Carroll was awarded The Purple Heart.

We love you and are so proud of you, Brent.

27 comments:

Lindsay Teague Moreno | 5ive Photo said...

wow. we are forever in debt to him for his bravery! Thanks for sharing the story!

Lindsay

pattyb said...

He sacrifices so much for us. Big hugs and kisses for Brent. We do really appreciate all he has done to keep us safe.

DebW said...

God bless Brent and may God bring him home safely.

kristina proffitt said...

Wow! What an amazing and heroic thing, Kelly! Thank you for sharing it with us and thank you to Brent and all of the other men and women (and their families) who sacrifice so much for all of us! I'm an Army brat so I know how straining it can be. BIG hugs to you, your family and Brent!

Tracey said...

I have chills reading this! What an extraordinary man your nephew is. Let him continue to be safe!

Anne House said...

I don't often leave comments- but...WOW!! Thank you to Brent for his bravery, service, and commitment to his country and unit!! Blessings and prayers for you and yours!!

Jennifer Priest said...

Kudos to him!! Thank you for sharing this story. We are in debt to your brother and it is men like him that we so desperately need for our country. Please thank him for us all. He is my prayers. And GO ARMY!! (from an Army Vet)

Andi (RrlScrapGal) said...

Oh my gosh... I am speechless....

Praise be to God...and to Brent...
What an amazing young man....
Big hugs to all in your family..

PamSpradlin said...

God bless Brent.

Haberdawoman said...

WOW! I have tears running down as I read this and am so grateful to all the brave men and woman who sacrifice so much for us every day. As for your nephew what a heroic act of himself, you must all be so proud yet scared at the same time. May God watch over him daily.

melita said...

thank you Brent and to all the families who sacrificed their loved ones, we will forever be in your debt.

Robin said...

Thank you Brent!!!

Wendy Sommers said...

I had goosebumps as I read your story of Brent. This hits lose to home from me as our family has two military officers, one of which is over in Afghanistan right now. God Bless Brent. The men and women who serve in the military are truly brave and are heroes in my books. I know I couldn't do what they do - it takes a very special person.

Susan Beth said...

That is a very powerful story. Our prayers will be with him for a long time to come!

Susan Beth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Davinie Fiero said...

What an amazing man. It sounds like he will have the love and support that he needs when he is home, if he isn't already. The mental suffering can be far worse than the physical. We have a family friend who had a similar "job" overseas and it has been very difficult for him to move forward from what he had experienced there.

AmyInKy said...

Your family must me so proud! God bless him.

Anonymous said...

What a gift he is to our nation. Thank you so much for sharing his story. The honor is well-deserved. God Bless.

Melanie said...

what an amazing man. many thanks to him for his service and bravery.

Katie Watson said...

How very proud you must be and how very brave your nephew is. My heart goes out to him and the journey he will have to take to heal from all that he has seen.

Cindy B.of Montana said...

Thanks for sharing his story. We owe a debt of gratitude to these young men and woman that can never be truly repaid.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this. Hats off to my comrad.

Sasha

stephanie howell said...

I don't know how I missed this one, but what an amazing story. And what a hero.

Sarah said...

It's the medal no one wants. Bless him for his bravery and his courage under fire. Bless you for sharing part of his story.

Sarah (a 173rd Airborne sister)

Anonymous said...

The pride I have for this young man, your nephew brings tears to my eyes. What an incredible act of bravery and sacrifice. Thank you Brent for your service and congratulations on receiving this honor. I appreciate all you do to keep us safe.

Katie Watson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katie Watson said...

Tears in my eyes right now. What an amazing person. It's so brutal over there...and scary. Not for one second would I ever be brave enough to be there...I salute Brent...and hope that he is able to find peace and recover from all that he witnessed and went through. Thank You Brent, our country is free because of young men and women like you.

(Sorry, I realized that I had already posted a while back....but was still so stuck by his bravery...so I wanted to post again...but instead of editing to add this, I deleted...CHA cram middle of the night brain...:) )