A Hero

I've always been grateful for this country and the freedoms I enjoy, but the past couple weeks have increased my patriotism dramatically. My cousin SFC Glen Jacob Whetten was killed while serving in Afghanistan. I am so grateful for his sacrifice and bravery. He was the "best of the best" at what he did, and had earned many awards, including three purple hearts. What amazes me is that his family didn't even know about some of his awards

because he was too humble to tell them.


His funeral was beautiful. The tears started as we pulled up to the church, which was surrounded by flags.

It was wonderful to see so many cousins and family members who traveled here for the funeral. The amount of respect shown by the military was poignant, and

I won't ever look at the flag the same way again.

As my Aunt Amy (Jake's mom) put it,

"I think a great many eyes have been opened by Jacob's death. How can we ever see a soldier or a flag in the same way again? Our freedom is infinitely
more precious because we finally realize, in a most personal way, its terrible cost".

She also wrote a beautiful poem about Jake here.