SFC Phillip Tackett
April 1, 2008
The attached photograph is of an American Patriot. His name is Phil Tackett. He's a 53 year old member of the Arkansas Army National Guard. He's been in the National Guard since the 1970s. He's also a retired Sergeant from the North Little Rock Police. He's currently on military leave from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police. He has recently been deployed to Iraq.
He is an American Patriot because he is a citizen soldier in the finest tradition of the American military. He's a volunteer. He's an older man who could easily stay here at home, but instead has freely chosen to lead younger men into harm's way. He is a modern day Minute Man. They live on, you know. Men just like Phil fought along side Washington, Lee, Grant, Jackson, Pershing, Nimitz, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and the rest. They suffered at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima. Today they're in Iraq and Afganistan - and maybe some other places too.
You see, whether or not you agree with the war, whether or not you like George Bush, if you are a U.S. citizen, Phil Tackett is doing what "We the People" have sent him there to do through our government. Phil is enduring great peril and hardship for us - so that we may all sleep safely in our beds at night. He's risking his neck to keep the Boogerman at bay - for us. You and me, and everyone we know. By the way, this is his second tour.
I took this photo of him last July. Jeanie and I were with him, his wife Karyn, and his son Gavin, on what Phil calls his Party Barge. I mention this only because I want you to know that he has a life outside his military duties. His family pays our dues too - along with him.
I know that many of you know someone who's serving in our war against Islamic Fascism. However, some of you may not. Phil is a friend of mine. I think very highly of him. I wanted you all to see the face of a Patriot. We have many like him among us who voluntarily do our necessary dirty work, in our place, on foreign soil.
Thank you for taking the time to read this note. I thank Phil Tackett for not having the time to read this, while I sit safely in my comfortable home surfing the web.
Tackett can be contacted at the following e-mail address - you know, so that you can say thanks, and wish him well, if you'd like. He checks his e-mail when he can. Please feel free to forward this to everyone you know so that they can see what a patriot looks like. He's a better man than I am.
cb
tictacky28@yahoo.com
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