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Alabama Ft. Hood soldier intends to deploy to Iraq

Posted today in The Birmingham News:

An Alabama-born Army officer who was shot three times during the Nov. 5 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, still has his good days and bad days, but he had a good one over the weekend when he rode on a float in the Saturday Christmas parade in his hometown of Eclectic.

“I had a wonderful time,” said Warrant Officer Christopher Royal, who was the parade’s grand marshal. Royal said he wanted to do what he could to support civic improvements in Eclectic and would be back in town next week to talk about that with local officials.

By mid-January, Royal, 37, will be following events in Eclectic at an even longer distance than he is now. He expects to be on his fourth deployment in Iraq.

“I plan on deploying … in January whether I’m at 100 percent or not,” Royal said Monday during a telephone interview while he was driving back to Fort Hood. “I’ve made provision to deploy and … I’m trusting God that that’s the right thing to do. I feel it’s the right thing to do because if it was the wrong thing, then he would have took me completely out of that realm. But he did not, he allowed me to be able to perform as a soldier, so I am going to continue to be all that I can be.”…

Read the full article here.

God bless you, W.O. Royal!

In the news this weekend

Courtesy of the Montgomery Advertiser:

Air Force Airman Andrew Williams has gradu­ated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. He is the son of James Wil­liams of Prattville.

The airman is a 2008 grad­uate of Prattville High School.

Congratulations, Airman Williams!

Air National Guard Airman 1st Class LaDarius J. Reed has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Reed is the son of Allison Gandy and Terry Essex, both of Montgomery.

The airman graduated in 2008 from Jefferson Davis High School in Montgom­ery.

Congratulations, AFC Reed!

Air Force Airman Jeremiah L. Hand has gradu­ated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. He is the son of Tommy and Rose Hand of Pine Level.

The airman is a 2008 grad­uate of Marbury High School in Pine Level.

Congratulations, Airman Hand!

Air Force Airman Tom­my J. Giles has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. He is the son of Kimberly and Tommy Giles of Deat­sville.

The airman is a 2008 grad­uate of Holtville High School in Deatsville.

Congratulations, Airman Giles!

Coast Guard Seaman Co­rey S. Campbell recently graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Train­ing Center in Cape May, N.J. Campbell is the son of Rita W. and Scott E. Campbell of Eclectic.

The seaman is a 2007 grad­uate of Elmore County High School in Eclectic.

Congratulations, Seaman Campbell!

Coast Guard Seaman Zackery B. Cooley recent­ly graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Train­ing Center in Cape May, N.J. Cooley is the son of Lisa R. and Vonzie E. Cooley of Montgomery.

Congratulations, Seaman Cooley!

Air National Guard Airman John W. Pitch ford has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San An­tonio. He is the grandson of La­mar Pitchford of Tallassee.

The airman is a 2007 grad­uate of Tallassee High School.

Congratulations, Airman Pitch!