My Favorite Veteran

I just returned from a long weekend home with my whole family to welcome my brother Jakob back from service in Iraq. He's been a Medic in the Army for about the last 5 years, and in about a month he should be out for good.

Jakob enlisted for 4 years, but because he was oversees last February he had to stay through his deployment another 6 months. Though he should have then been home in the beginning of August, he was extended for 3 additional months until this November, which even caused him and his fiancé (pictured) to have to reschedule their October wedding to January.

These past 15 months have been trying and frustrating ones, but they have also been months of hope for our family. Hope that Jakob would return, hope that he would remain safe and alive, and hope that we would all be together again and that life would, through God's grace, return to something "normal" for him. Jakob is now looking forward to getting married, going back to school (to be a doctor), living in Chicago, and being a civilian.

Over the last few days, we were all able to sit around our table like we used to, laughing, eating, all talking at the same time, and enjoying each other's presence. We were able to hear more of Jakob's experience in Iraq and to learn about some close calls he had that I'm glad he escaped. Today (Veterans Day) I am so proud of my brother who has returned from the war in one piece and who is excited about what the future holds.