Local soldier dies in Iraq

[Calibritwo]

Our family want to say a great big THANK YOU to Rudy and his son for all of the wonderful pictures in the Flint Hills Express, what a tribute,we have always been proud of our town and its people, but seeing it all in print does our hearts good. To have this newspaper and be able to share it with our family around the world who do not have internet makes us feel very proud of everyone who made this very special tribute a reality. God Bless everyone .

[Rudy Taylor]

Wow, Teresa and Kjell!

I am so proud of you for putting this wonderful video together.

Thanks so much.

Rudy

[Janet Harrington]

Well, Ms. T, I was able to view the video and felt such pride that my friend is so talented that she can make memories for a family.  I hope that you were able to burn a CD for the Mackey family to cherish.  I was asleep when all the Patriot Guard, Kansas Highway Patrol, etc., came by the house.  I didn't wake up until the Patriot Guard was leaving town.  By watching the video, it was as if I, too, was there.  I am so proud of the Kansas Highway Patrol that came to the funeral because this fallen solider's brother, Carl, is a state trooper.  That just shows how highly regarded Carl Mackey is with that highway patrol.  He is a wonderful trooper and was a good deputy when he worked for Greenwood County.  I am so sorry for the Mackey family's loss which is also the loss of the United States as are all of the men and women who have given their lives in this war, so another country can have a taste of the freedom that we have.  I thank God everyday for our country and especially for the wonderful friends I have in the world.

[Teresa]

I delivered the DVD to Maria today. She was very very gracious, and thanked me for making it.
   I will tell you that she is a beautiful woman inside and out and is trying very hard to be strong.
She has to , as she has 3 young children to raise. Her mother lives with her and is also so nice and warm hearted. Even under the circumstances, I enjoyed visiting with these 2 lovely ladies.
You can tell that mother and daughter are close and love each other very much. We are lucky to have people like this in our community.
Although Maria is very sad and her heart is breaking, she is so proud of her husband, and said that she knew him well enough to know that even if he had known this outcome, he loved his country and believed in his purpose so much that he would have gone back over there and done exactly the same thing.
Takes a brave and courages man to do that... and a kind and loving wife to continue to support him ,even after he is gone.

May God and the Angels bless this family as they are healing.

[sixdogsmom]

I did a little browse at the Patriot Guard website today; very interesting! Good going guys!

[Ole Granny]

A very good friend of ours was with the Patriot Guard, John Simard.  He would have been in the line but passed away Jan. 2, 2008.  John was a truly good person and is missed.

[Teresa]

I got this today in an e-mail...
I wanted to share it with you:

As Co-captain of the Kansas Patriot Guard, I just want you to know, this is the most beautiful and touching of any video that I have seen to date, nation wide
What made it so wonderful is the support and involvement of the Howard community. The communities like Howard are so amazing! That is what makes them so wonderful and a great place to raise a family. I will say that I may be somewhat prejudice, because I have been a constant visitor to Howard since the 70's when my good friend Lloyd Zimmerman moved there, but I am sure that is really not the case. Thank you very much for what you do.

Greg "EBay" Hansen
Kansas American Legion Rider Area Director
Kansas Patriot Guard Co-Captain

[Teresa]

And this is another one I received:

Please send my best regards and thanks to those who put the video presentation together honoring Sgt. Mackey.
It is absolutely the best one I have seen yet!!!!   It was so beautifully done.   

Being a member of the Kansas Patriot Guard, it confirms that what we do is the 'right thing to do'.

Lynette Stenzel, Ness City, KS

[flo]

it's great to read these remarks.  I'm sure that they also realize that we, same as them, did not do this for recognition, but because we love our country and wanted this fallen hero to know our appreciation for what he gave.

[Teresa]

This video link has been sent around to quite a few people.  It was viewed over 700 times yesterday.
By this video circulating,  Bryant Mackey and all fallen soldiers are being honored.

Makes all the hours I put into making it soooooooo worth it...even though my heart was breaking the whole time. 
But to have people's positive reactions makes my heart swell with pride and patriotism for the United States.