USAF
Maj. James A. Damato (left) and
Rick Damato catch up in Jacksonville,
Fla. Note: Maj. Damato is out of
uniform while he is on R&R (beards are not allowed in the USAF).
You will not find anything about roofing in this blog posting. For nearly 30 years my contributions to Roofing Contractor have been on the topics of roofing equipment, systems, contractors, suppliers, products, manufacturers, accessories, business, etc., etc. The truth is I only write about the things I live, observe, and hear directly in the course of being me.
This time I am taking advantage of this bully pulpit to share a personal experience that is, well, worth sharing. As this is being written I am traveling north on I-75 heading back to Atlanta from the place of my birth, Jacksonville, Fla. With the wonderful and talented Kay and number one son Joseph (doing the driving so we can have this chat), I headed south recently to celebrate my youngest brother, USAF Maj. James A. Damato.
Jamie
just returned from a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. That is cause for celebration
enough, but he managed to get himself promoted and complete a post-graduate
degree in his spare time (of which he had none the first seven months of the
deployment). For me, my brother (16 years my junior, but light years ahead of
me in service to our country) serves as my personal reminder of the manifold
sacrifices that many young (and not so young) American service members make
year in and year out.
Jamie will tell you that in spite of being away from his family for a year and in often less than comfortable surroundings, he did not have it as bad as many of those serving overseas, especially in Afghanistan. That may be true, but I honor all the things my brother has done and continues to do for all of us.
So, welcome home, brother! Glad you are back safe, sound, promoted, and better equipped to handle your next duty post!
Jamie will tell you that in spite of being away from his family for a year and in often less than comfortable surroundings, he did not have it as bad as many of those serving overseas, especially in Afghanistan. That may be true, but I honor all the things my brother has done and continues to do for all of us.
So, welcome home, brother! Glad you are back safe, sound, promoted, and better equipped to handle your next duty post!
