April 5, 2010 | tagged Milblogs Semper Fi: Give your MILblogging vote to this 23-year-old widow
Military wife Rachel Porto has been blogging at “A Little Pink in a World of Camo” since August 2009. Rachel chronicled her wedding to the Marine of her dreams, Corporal Jonathan Porto, the birth of the couple’s daughter in January, and her husband’s deployment to Afghanistan. Three weeks ago, she wrote what must have been her most difficult post: She announced that her 26-year-old husband died while serving our country. Her blog — on which she continues to share her grief while also raising money for a Run for the Warriors 5K — is nominated for a MILbloggies award in the U.S. military spouse category. Give Rachel a virtual hug by heading over to Milblogging.com to vote for her blog. Voting ends at midnight on Wednesday, April 7, just two days away.
Military life can be heartbreaking, as the blog "A Little Pink in a World of Camo" testifies.
Rachel shared her raw emotions in her March 17 post, titled “I Will Always Be a Marine Wife.”
I am being forced to do something that no 23 year old woman should ever have to do. I am being forced to do something that no one should ever have to do, not at this early in life, especially. I am being forced to lay the love of my life, my saving grace, my entire world to rest.
Sometimes hashing it out in words helps, so I’m trying to blog about it. To wrap my mind around why God would do this to me, to him, to us. I can’t fathom how any of this has happened, it all still feels so surreal, there’s no way this is real I am having a nightmare. Unfortunately this is a nightmare I am unable to wake up from.
On Sunday 14 March, Cpl Jonathan Daniel Porto, my one and only soul mate, died while on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in flipped over. On Monday 15 March, a CACO came to my house to notify me of the terrible news. I’m not even going to begin to describe my reaction at that. On Tuesday 16 March I went to Dover AFB to welcome my beloved husband home. It is not the way I had intended to welcome him home, I had planned that in a few more months he’d be walking off the bus, I’d be standing there with a 6-8 month old Ariana with our signs, smiling, waiting for him to enter our arms. I did not ever imagine I’d be watching an honor guard escort a metal box draped in an American flag off a jet.
God bless you, Porto family, for your sacrifices. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Thanks to our friend over at Red Bull Rising for telling us about Rachel and her blog.
Reader Comments (1)
I feel so sorry for you and your little girl? :( I can't even begin to imagine how heart broken you both must feel that your. Devoted and loving husband came home back onto. US Soil like that?
I'm thankful how all of our soldiers are defending our freedoms and Land of The Free because of the Brave each and everyday? :) I know he's looking down on you both always :) at what y'all do together as well.
God Bless America,
Land of the Free
because of the Brave Men and Women!!!
HOORAH!!!!!!!!! :)