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Ride Report for Ride Captain jphsmom (Traceylee)

On Saturday December 31,2011 we were asked to surprise Senior Airman Jason Thomas by his mother Kim Thomas.  Jason was coming home for the first time in 3 years and his Mom really wanted this to be a special event.  Unfortunately for the family the day after Jason returned home his grandfather passed away, so this became a very bitter sweet event for this family.  When I spoke with Ms. Thomas on the eve of this Welcome Home, she stated that she had thought about cancelling this event due to the it being such an emotional time for the family. Other family members reminded her that not only would Dad/Grandfather not want this event cancelled, he too had wanted Jason to know that not only his family but his Nation was behind him.
Jason is in the United States Air Force and is part of the 377th Security Forces Squadron, where his specialty is Military Police.  Jason serves at the Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico.  He enlisted in October 2008 and is 23 years old.
We, the ECPA WWR Chapter met up at the Wawa on Route 100 in Fogelsville on what was a chilly Saturday morning. We headed down to the Texas Roadhouse in Reading where the family had gathered for a quick lunch.  There we were joined by the SEPA WWR Chapter along with other members of other organizations that help to support our troops.  With the help of the Texas Roadhouse staff we were able to assemble and surprise Jason without his knowing that we were there. The look on his face was priceless as he walked out of the restaurant only to find a large gathering of folks with American flags cheering him on and thanking him for his services to our country.
We then asked Jason to please join us briefly in a grassy area were I presented him with the WWR Coin and Danielle Pearson presented him with a certificate of appreciation from A Hero’s Welcome.  When asked to speak Jason’s reply was like so many I have heard in the past “Thank you, but I don’t really deserve this.”. Our reply to him was’ ” Yes you do!” . It never ceases to amaze me just how selfless the members of our military truly are.  From here we escorted Jason and his family back to their home, so that they could continue with their holidays and time together to heal from their recent loss.
It was truly an honor to be the RC for this event and to meet such an amazing young man and his wonderful family.  Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and help with yet another great Welcome Home!  Thank you Jason once again for your service, your salute to us as we left brought a tear to my eye.
Submitted by
jphsmom(TraceyLee)