To the editor:

Sergeant First Class Kimberly Walker has spent just as much time out of our country as she has at home.

Her tours of duty include a humanitarian visit to Pakistan and twice to war zones in the Middle East. On her last tour in Afghanistan, Sergeant Walker was injured and two of her vertebrae had to be replaced. After a few months of medical leave and R&R, she recovered and was sent to her new duty in Colorado Springs. While on duty stateside, she received word that one of her boys, Specialist Robert Ellis was struck by a mortar round and was killed. Sergeant Walker went to her commanding officer and asked and received permission to escort Specialist Ellis home. She was flown to Delaware as the NCIOC, non-commissioned officer in charge, where she received four flag draped caskets. After she presided over full honors for our fallen, a police and motorcycle escort accompanied them to the funeral home for forensics.

The following morning, Specialist Ember Alt was escorted to South Carolina.

Sergeant William Moody (father of three) was escorted to Texas.