Tell Us Your Story

We want to hear from you how the military has changed your life.  Post your very own stories and experiences about you and the military.  You can upload your stories, post videos, and/or pictures. From all the stories we receive, 3 winners will be chosen to receive 2 free tickets and 2 backstage passes each to the 2009 American Freedom Festival being held on November 7, 2009 at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.  One Grand Prize Winner out of the 3 winners will have the opportunity to tell his or her story on stage that night.  Don’t wait, submit your story now!



    Thursday, Nov 5

  • My story

    My name is Debra Main. And this is my story… My husband is Sgt Randy Main. We are the prod parents of Jacob, 16yrs old, Kristen, 13yrs old, and Marcus 13yrs old. I meet my husband in Feb 1995. We got married Aug 1995. Sgt Main adopted Jacob and we became a family. At the time, our goals changed. Sgt Main wanted to be a soldier more than I could explain. He explained to me that this was what he wanted. I gave in, but was unsure. I knew it would mean, being far away from our hometown, family. But I knew that we could do it. I had these ideas of what it would be like, Boy was I wrong..Military Life, is like a marriage. It is what you make of it..if you work at it, it can be ok, but if you dont try it wont be anything. As a military spouse, you have to be prepared for anything, long deployments, training, and late nite phone calls, and a shoulder to cry on, and ear to bend. And the kids go thur so much too. The moves, making new friends, and adjustments. But, as I sit here and look back on our life, it is all worth it..It has been a ride in life with as many ups and downs, but it has be all WORTH it. We have made the greatest friends and learned so much about how strong we really are and how to fix our weakness. You Never Know Just How Strong You Can Be … Until Being Strong Is The Only Choice You Have Left. My worst moment, is when we were stationed at Fort Hood, Txs. We were newly married and 1st duty station. I was newly pregnant. Randy was in the field alot. I was in a horriable pregancy and Randy was in the field. I had a stroke at 6weeks. My 3 yr old son, called 911 and I was takin by ambulance. I was in the hospital for 2wks, no hubby and no son. We had no family close and I felt so alone. I had to go to the hospital 4 times weekly and had to see different doctors everytime. I called my mom like daily. And to top it all off, Randy was not getting any money cause of a computer glitch. We were living on nothing. It was the worst possible conditions. I would have to say that was our 1st lesson learned. We had to learn to tlak to each other, lean on one another, and be adults. And the best memory, I have is…Being stationed at Fort Lewis, WA. We actually got to put down roots. It was a great feeling. The kids got to have a place to call “home”. They started to come out of their shell. We learned to make the best friends ever. We made really strong bonds. We needed that. Randy got deployed for the 1st time to Iraq. It was hard but I found the strengh to go back to school and to graduate from Medical Asst school. I got a job and the kids bloomed. They eveything changed..I got a call. Randy’s parents were in need of help. They couldnt make it on their own anymore. So, I packed of my kids and we flew out to Ks to get them. I moved them out to our home. It was tuff but I had the best support..My friends, my extended military family. They all stepped up to the plate and helped me. Randy’s dad got gravely ill and passed away on 11 May 2008. Randy came home from Iraq and it has been one thing after another but we have had the support of each other, and our military family. Our daughter, has been really ill. It has been the support of our family, our community, our army doctors, and our faith in god that has got me thur of days. So you ask has the military changed us…It gave us the tools to believe in ourselves, our family, in each other and the knowledge and the guts to stand for what we believe in. I have a sign that hangs in over my front door that says…Our story begins at home…Our story is one like most americans. We are proud Americans with the desire to serve our fellow Americans and to raise strong, patrodic children surrounded by the GREATEST AMERICANS!!! It has been an Honor to share a bit of my families story with you and I just want to say…THANK you to all the AMERICANS that gives us the Courage to be who we are thur serving this Great Nation…GOD BLESS!!! P.S. And to my Personal HERO…SGT RANDY MAIN, thank you for giving yourself selflessly by serving your country with honor, courage, pride,and love. We love you!!!
    - posted by Debra J Main