By Jared Weggeland
Focus Group Florida
Keller Williams Realty
Lakeland FL 33803
I was able to have a nice chat with my father recently about the many people in my family that have served in the military and wanted to share my thanks for them, and all of the troops who have served and are serving, with you this weekend. I LOVE America and the liberty which is secured by our armed forces and I will never take their service for granted, never.
When I was a young boy my mother, brother and I moved to England to live with my aging grandparents, Eric and Mildred, in a small village called Burton Latimer. I bring that up because being away from America from the age of 10 until 22 years old gave me an great appreciation for its freedoms, its opportunities for prosperity and its way of life. In fact, I now this is a little cheesy, but whenever I would visit the States I would actually tear up on the runway while arriving because I was so happy to be back in the "land that I love". I would also tear up on the runway at the subsequent departure, but for other reasons. This doesn't mean that I didn't love living in England and France for all that time, but it wasn't the same. America was the place of my birth and even though I have lived away some, my roots run deep in the US soil. Okay, enough about that.
Here are some of the people in my family that have been involved with the military, and I love them even more for it:
- My father Judd Weggeland was in the US Army in Monterray CA.
- My great uncle Lewis Munns fought and died with the British forces in France in WWI.
- My great uncle Arther Sellers fought with the British forces in WWII as a tank commander.
- My Uncle Bud Robbins served in the US Army, and I am afraid I can't remember where.
- My biological father Tom Gulzcinsky was in the US Navy.
- My nephew-in-law Blake is currently serving in the US Airforce.
I hope you have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend and get to spend some time with friends, family, and those that you love, either in person, or virtually, whatever your current situation may be. God bless America, land that I love. God bless our troops from sea to shining sea. God bless us all as we work together to conquer our current challenges.