Thank you, US military

It's still a little bit surreal that we have been hanging out with a friend from college for the last couple of weeks.  David's job has been to serve as a part of a team searching for soldiers MIA in WWII here in the Solomon Islands.

He gave us a rare treat this afternoon - a chance to watch members of the US armed forces at work and a peek inside a C17.

 

The trip was also educational.  We learned that if a black can of coke is inside a black backpack sitting in the Solomon Island sunshine, that can will explode and make a big mess in the backpack.

 

Inside the huge plane, the first thing that caught my eye was the Stars and Stripes.  I tend to take our flag for granted when we are living in our passport country, but here, the familiar red, white, and blue can bring me to tears.

The crew of the plane was very polite and kind to let us ask questions and observe the loading of the team's cargo.

We're so proud of the men and women who serve America, including our friend David.

The remains the team found were brought on board the plane with much respect.

 

 

Our kids had never seen anything like it, so we took the opportunity to explain that these were the remains of the American men who fought more than 70 years ago here on Guadalcanal.



Huge thanks to this team and to David, for leaving their homes and spending time away from their friends and family to serve the families of military men who died long ago.  You made an impact on our family today.