EDITOR
Published:
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 12:29 PM CDT
This Saturday, Americans among the thousands will lie on the ground, their arms behind their heads, a blanket beneath them, as they watch fireworks explode into a night sky of brilliant colors, an instantaneous Star Spangled Banner. They’ll ooh and ahh. How beautiful. And weren’t the ribs delicious? How about that corn on the cob? Did you buy any of those sparkler thingies?
For Shane Ayers, fireworks for the past year have been his reality, not the kind of fireworks which children light to celebrate Independence Day, but the daily explosions of living at the base of the mountains in Afghanistan. Shane is an army scout with the 1st Infantry Division based out of Ft. Hood, Texas in Killeen, Texas.
“Shane calls it a sponge outpost,” said Russ Smith, Bixby, about his son-in-law who recently received a Bronze Star for saving the life of an Afghani soldier. According to Russ and his wife Tonya, the purpose of the outpost, which is only the size of a football field, is to hold the border and draw Taliban fire from the mountains. Once the Taliban is spotted, air support is called in to bomb the area. At 23-24, he’s the old man of the outfit. The soldiers are constantly bombarded, two to three times a day.Said Tonya, there are only 80 soldiers in the area, 40 Americans and 40 Afghanis. “ “It’s almost impossible to get in and out—by helicopter only,” she said. “ There are no roads, just foot trails.”Shane came home to visit in January, the trip taking three weeks, because it was so difficult to get out of the area as the helicopter was under constant fire. ‘They get shot at getting supplies from the helicopter,” Tonya said. “ They get shot at trying to help others who have been hurt.” Although Shane got the Bronze Star for one incident, he has saved lives several times. Tonya calls the soldiers sitting ducks. “After seeing the videos, I personally feel that you only come back alive if it’s God’s plan.”Whatever is built on the outpost is made of scrap wood, whatever’s available. There is no running water; they filter water from the river. “Americans would be shocked,” said Tonya."
She encourages everyone to support the Blue Star mothers in getting
packages to the soldiers in the military. They look forward to the treats, she
said. Shane sometimes received packages from strangers. There are several Blue
Star Mothers listed on the Internet. This is one of them: Oklahoma Chapter One
Blue Star Mothers of America, http://www.okbluestarmothers.org/, 2198 S.
Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74129-1050. (918) 834-7777. The Bixby Bulletin
encourages Blue Star Mothers to send news releases regarding their activities,
fund-raisers and needs, joj@bixbybulletin.com.
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