Daisy Mae Estrada, Mikaylah, 4, and Nikelis, 5 months, eagerly await the return of their soldier, Spc. Erik Estrada. |
By Daisy Mae Estrada
This is my soldier, my husband, Spc. Erik Estrada with the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment Wolfhounds of Schofield Barracks. He is from Arlington, Texas, and joined the Army in July 2000.
We met here in Hawai'i that year and were married on New Year's Eve of 2001. He is a wonderful father to our two kids, Mikaylah, 4, and Nikelis, 5 months. This is his first deployment anywhere, but he is very strong and makes the best of every situation.
He won't get to see his son take his first steps or hear his first words, but he will be able to hear him say "I love you, Daddy" when he gets back. We can't wait for the day that we get to hug him again.
We, along with the rest of his family in Texas, are very proud of Erik and we all miss him very much.
Our thoughts and prayers are also with all the Wolfhounds and other soldiers in Iraq — you are all doing a great job.
Mikaylah, Nikelis, and I love you and miss you very much Erik.
Stay safe and hurry home because it just isn't the same without you here with us.
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Sgt. Jason Thomas Escritor |
By Priscilla V. Escritor
Still there!
Sgt. Jason Thomas Escritor was deployed to Kuwait in February 2003, then into Iraq in March, when Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
Jason is from Hilo and graduated from Hawaiian Mission Academy in Honolulu, and the University of Hawai'i-Hilo.
His wife, Faith, and daughter, Shayelin, reside in Fort Hood, Texas. He is a mechanic on the Apache Longbow helicopters for the Army's D Troop, 6-6 Calvary, 11th Aviation Regiment, 5th Corp. Division.
He prays for his troops' safe exit, sincerely thanks those who will be replacing them and also prays for their safety.
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Spc. Keoni C. Escobido |
By Jill C. Morris
My son, Spc. Keoni C. Escobido, is serving his country proudly in Iraq. He is a member of Company B, 4th Engineer Battalion.
After graduating from Pearl City High School in 1999, he promptly joined the Army. He wanted to see the world. He was stationed in Germany on his first assignment. He toured Europe and definitely saw the world.
He was deployed in 2000 to Kosovo — so being in Iraq, he has seen his second war. Much too much for a young man to experience, but he serves his country proudly.
He has been deployed in Iraq since April and I pray for his safe return and for the safety of all our troops.
I love you, son!
— Mom
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Lt. Frank Earhart, left, and Lance Cpl. Brandon Earhart
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My story is of a woman’s pride. On the left is my husband, Lt. Frank Earhart, who has been in the U.S. Navy for 26 years. We’ve been married for 22 years. On the right is our only son, Lance Cpl. Brandon Earhart, who proudly follows in our family’s military tradition with the U.S. Marine Corps. Brandon is in Iraq with the 4th Force Recon out of Kane‘ohe. Brandon joined the Marine Reserve just after 9/11 and shortly thereafter became active, spending the past two years in training for Force Recon. Brandon is from Charleston, S.C., but moved to Hawai‘i when we received orders here with the Navy. Although only 20, Brandon has seen much of the world due to our military travels, and he is proud to be helping the Iraqi people find peace and freedom in their own country. We pray for his safety and the safety of all our troops. Keep the love of God in your heart and he will guide you safely back to us.
— Kathie S. Earhart
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Marcus Emilyon |
This is Staff Sgt. Marcus Emilyon of the Air Force, my youngest brother, who is deployed in "who knows where" land. Marcus is a 1978 graduate of Waipahu High School. Here is an excerpt from his latest e-mail: "It has been the worst day so far as the weather. The wind is blowing very hard, about 55 mph and gusting up to the 70s and it's cold. We worked anyway. We have to support those Army and Marine troops nearing Baghdad. They have it even worse than we do. Sometimes I fear that this could escalate into something bigger and that I would be here even longer than we expected. We all need prayers. The work is always busy and that's good. Even 12-hour days seem to fly by. We still shower every other day and the food is a little better. We got to move from the tents to a trailer-type building. We have more room and it's a lot quieter. For the first time I slept without earplugs. No jets overhead, only in the distance. Keep the prayers, e-mails and packages coming. It really helps!"
— Victoria Correa
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If you know someone in the military from or based in Hawai'i serving our country in the Persian Gulf, please send us a photo and a few words about him or her to: alohatroops@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Submissions may be published or distributed in print, electronic and other forms.
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Aloha Troops
