Meet Joshua because of Oliver!

Oliver’s bright yellow sweatshirt with ears caught Betsy’s eye when she looked out her window into the parking lot. She wanted to know more! She ran downstairs and outside to introduce herself to Oliver. He quickly directed Betsy’s attention to his father, who Betsy hadn’t seen because because he was on the ground, changing a flat tire. Joshua stood up and introduced himself. He told Betsy that neither he nor Oliver had never been on a vacation and this was the start of a week-long vacation. As Josh was fixing his flat tire, they chatted. When Josh was 18, he enlisted in the Marine Corp. He did two tours in the Afghanistan War and was stationed at Marjah. He was a corporal & an Infantryman. He was honorably discharged after his service but his service came with the price of lifelong wounds sustained in battle. He has struggled with PTSD and the loss of 11 of his Marine brothers to suicide. Josh is bound and determined to be the best man and example that he can possibly be for his son. He’s currently studying for his degree in software engineering with hopes of continued service to our country once his degree is complete. He has applied to Yale and Harvard. Yale has accepted him, although he says his heart is set on Harvard. We know that whichever school you wind up finishing in, you will do just fine, Josh! You are the epitome of strength and honor. When Betsy asked him what he wanted to say to the world, he said, “When I reflect on the embracing compassion and understanding, I believe that if we all took a just moment to listen and truly see one another, we could create a much more beautiful world.” Their tire is fixed and they are back on road- embarking on their first and best father/son adventure yet. Safe travels! We also want to say thank you for your service; your sacrifices, your valor, for the things you carry, for protecting us, and for defending our rights, Josh. Last but not least, thank you & Oliver for visiting and including us as one of your stops!