 Tony E. - Pilgrim | All Comments |
Comments | |
| 13th December 2008 Janet | bon voyage - From: April - Aug 2008 (I Fixed the Photos) Tony and Laura we here in Alaska will miss you, but we wish you all the best in your new home in Virginia. My daughter, Dianna, is in Georgia, so maybe you'll get to see one another again sometime. God Bless you all! |
| 18th September 2008 Kath | Glad to see all is well! - From: April - Aug 2008 (I Fixed the Photos) Tony, Great to see you and the family doing so well. And, yes, Eli is a complete cutie-pie. And, wow, Alaska to Florida and back -- can't really envision that trip, but had to be interesting. My Army guy is still in Iraq, hopefully before Thanksgiving he will be home. But, as you said, you never know. Hate to see you leaving the Army, bec. they'll be losing a good leader, but congrats on your choice of more school. And may I just put in a plug for you working with vets. You know they need it, they need someone who truly, truly understands. Good luck and lots of happy, thankful prayers for all of you. Kath |
| 9th September 2008 Alex | how are you - From: April - Aug 2008 (I Fixed the Photos) Tony, Great to hear from you. It's been a long time. Shoot me an email when you get a chance. I would love to reconnect. I was recently sharing with Susan some pictures from college and reminiscing about the motorcycle trip across the country - that almost was. -Alex |
| 5th September 2008 Emily and Michael | - From: April - Aug 2008 (I Fixed the Photos) What great pictures! We wondered what was going on with you since we haven't heard from you in a long time! We will pray that everything will go well with the medical discharge. We would love to have you in Lynchburg b/c that is so close to us and we can see you! Be sure to keep us posted with your addresses and phone numbers along the way. I think Elijah looks a lot like Tony! |
| 4th September 2008 Destiney | - From: April, May, Jun, Jul, Aug 2008 How wonderful to see all of these great pictures. I miss you guys-we need to get together! I'll be praying for your precious family and the new season of school and family. Pray for us too. We have a similar scenerio going on in the Hursh home with work/school and family. With love, Destiney |
| 18th August 2008 511 tactical vests | http://www.tacticalpantsupply.com - From: Gear Advice For Deploying Soldiers Thank you very much for the great information. Thanks 511 tactical vests |
| 13th May 2008 Des | so other ideas - From: Gear Advice For Deploying Soldiers a media stick and an Ipod couldnt hurt. and medics could use a pocket pharmacopoeia. |
| 5th April 2008 Alex | Congrats. - From: March 2008 - Elijah Paul Erskine Born Tony, Laura, Congrats once again. We'll keep you in our prayers. Keep us posted and let us know if and when you decide to hit the east coast. -Alex |
| 4th April 2008 Kath | CONGRATS! - From: March 2008 - Elijah Paul Erskine Born Tony and Mrs. Tony -- Happy, happy day!! Mrs. Tony -- you deserve all the rest you can get now, although I'm guessing that will be rather hard to come by! So relieved to hear all is well. I am surrounded by baby girls everywhere here, so am jealous you have a boy now. Eli looks very handsome. Tony -- how wonderfu for all of you. Three kids!! Can you believe it? Sounds like "work" is good, too. I can't say enough good things to you and your beautiful family!! May God continue to bless all of you. I am really happy for you. Kath |
| 4th April 2008 Bosler | Congratulations! - From: March 2008 - Elijah Paul Erskine Born Hey Tony and Laura! Congratulations on your new son - it is great to hear that everyone is doing well now. We look forward to more pictures! JMU? As in James Madison? If you're going to be anywhere near here you need to let me know. Take care my friend - and may God keep blessing you! |
| 31st March 2008 kathlene - soldier's angel | covered in prayer.... - From: January and February - Sorry So Late first i want to tell you i agree whole heartidly on the enlistment issues. you guys have given us so much more than anyone could have every expected. i will pray for direction in your life so that you can have some peace about you future. i will pray for you beautiful family, the health of you new little boy. my daughter had her baby 5 weeks premature, we almost lost them both from pre-eclampsia. God has covered us with so much love and care. the baby now 1 month is small but doing awesome. God is good and there is no other worth putting our faith in. thank you laura for being there for you husband and children. i am truely in awe of your dedication. our soldiers overseas couldn't do what they do without fine wives and mom's like you. thank you. God bless and take care you will be in my prayers kat |
| 31st March 2008 Destiney Hursh | - From: January and February - Sorry So Late I love seeing all the sweet pictures! I won't stop praying for you and your family as you proceed out of the ARMY(which I am covering in prayer) and on to the next season in life. Blessings to you and your house. Love Destiney |
| 30th March 2008 Grandma | Thanks - From: January and February - Sorry So Late God had certainly blessed all of us in that we have you and your family in our family. I cannot thank you enough for the way you have served our country. I have no words of wisdom to help you make a decission as to how to spend the rest of your life, except, spend it with the Lord. Keep Him in your life and the life of your family. Consult Him at every turn. The girls are beautiful, so is Laura. Take care of them and the new baby. I am anxiously awaiting pictures. We all love you guys. |
| 18th March 2008 cjschw | WOW - From: Imperia, IT - Hey This Place Looks Nice. Let's Stop Here. What an amazing trip.....we had such a great time, it is fun looking back at all these photos/memories |
| 7th March 2008 Deb | Dec Message & Baby - From: Please Pray For Laura and Our Unborn Son There aren't adequate words of appreciation for what you and all the troops have and are doing for us. I'm continually thankful realizing the risk, commitment and sacrifice you made. Praying for your baby boy and happy for you all. Just listened to your message you shared with the church in December and wish so many more could hear the truth of that. Thanks for sharing it! Every blessing, Deb |
| 20th February 2008 Beth in SC | Keeping you in our prayers - From: Please Pray For Laura and Our Unborn Son We'll be praying for your family. Your faith is amazing and never fails to inspire! |
| 19th February 2008 Tom DePont | I'm not a doctor but - From: Please Pray For Laura and Our Unborn Son We had a boy at 26 weeks. He's 17 now. Tom |
| 11th February 2008 Kath | Yes!! - From: Please Pray For Laura and Our Unborn Son To both of you, absolutely yes, I believe that you will have the faith to trust God, each other, and the doctors. You will!! So here's my happy prayers for you and your son. Will be looking to see the news in March!! |
| 5th January 2008 Beth in SC | Thanks Tony! - From: Reunion - Home At Last My sister and I both thank you so much for all you have done for our family and our country - as well as the peopel in Iraq. We really enjoyed writing to your troops while you were there and appreciated the blogs that let us feel like we knew all of you during your deployment. You have touched our lives in ways you'll never know and we are so thankful you are home to your (expanding!) family! :) Many blessings to you! |
| 5th January 2008 Beth in SC | Well Said. - From: Citizenship: A Soldier's View Your comments gave me a definte pause for thinking - and I shared it with others because your words are so strong and powerful. Thank you for reminding us of our responsibility and honestly - what should be our honor. I'm very thankful for you and those like you. |
| 3rd January 2008 Grandma | I Proud of You and Your Family - From: Reunion - Home At Last Tony, I am, and always have been so very proud of you and your family. You are right, your Dad and Mom raised three terrefic children. Thank you for protecting my freedom and the freedom of all Americans, even those who do not understand that freedom is never free. I also want Laura to know how proud I am of her for her loyalty and love for you. Oh yes, thank God for seeing to it that you made it through this hardship tour and bringing you home to your family. Much Love and Happy New Year, Grandma, Frank and Grandma-Grape |
| 2nd January 2008 Shawn | Thank You - From: Reunion - Home At Last Tony, Thank you, and all the soldiers for fighting for us. Thank you for risking your life to ensure our freedom and our way of life. Thank you for being a witness to us all. I'm glad your back home safely. |
| 29th December 2007 Kath | Glad you're back with your family - From: Reunion - Home At Last Having not been there, can only imagine how hard it was to leave, to want to come home, to miss the guys, to want to get away from the war -- a million emotions, but then to have your family beside you -- like you said, nothing else matters. May I ask what comes next? (Besides the new baby!! There's going to be a new one in our family soon, too, and it's so hard to wait!) Glad you're back home, Tony. Kath |
| 29th December 2007 maryannwatkins | Thanks - From: Reunion - Home At Last Just want you to know how much we all appreciate all your efforts and thank God that you are home with your lovely family. It takes a special person to do what you have accomplished. My hope for you and your family that the New Year will bring you many blessings and that this war will soon be over. I really enjoy reading your blog and hope you will continue with it. It is very informative. Take care and hold those precious little girls close to you every chance you get. |
| 29th December 2007 Pilgrim | Gee, Dad! I wonder how I got this way? :-) - From: Reunion - Home At Last Thanks for the kinds words, Dad; but I think you had a hand in making me who I am. So thank you! |
| 29th December 2007 Dad | Thanks son. - From: Reunion - Home At Last Tony; Thank you son. Thank you. While there are men in this country who believe that what you have done is not worthy of their respect, while there are men in this country who would tell you that you are not a better man because of the sacrifice you have made, I am not one of them. Thank you son. I respect you. I thank God that you are the man you are, that you can respect an old man who has his own problems. Thank you Tony. I love you. Dad. |
| 29th December 2007 Franco | - From: Reunion - Home At Last I tend to agree with you, that troops in Kuwait should not be receiving combat pay, by your description. Sometimes it's necessary to speak out against injustice in order for the American people to know of these things. Yes, the money could be use for more appropiate uses to help the wounded veteren's and families of the KIA's. |
| 4th December 2007 Dad | This is an American Infantryman - From: "David and Goliath" with a Twist Who can say, "He is not a scholar."? So many children, who can attain to education only by the grace and sweat of their parents, are willing to judge those who will make their own way. Those poor, kept children will never comprehend their blessings as you have done. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt; CITIZENSHIP IN A REPUBLIC; Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, France; April 23, 1910 |
| 7th November 2007 a soldier's mom | - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! In Christ alone my hope is found He is my light, my strength, my song This Cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease My Comforter, my All in All Here in the love of Christ I stand In Christ alone, who took on flesh Fullness of God in helpless babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save 'Till on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious Day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me For I am His and He is mine Brought with the precious blood of Christ No guilt in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand 'Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand I just read your powerful testimony. Your words took me back to 2004-5, when my youngest son, Phil, was in Iraq for a year. The song "In Christ Alone" helped get me through some long sleepless nights during his deployment. You, the men you mentioned and other soldiers there with you will be in my prayers. God bless you and keep you in His care. |
| 17th October 2007 Beth in SC | Thanks for spreading the joy - From: September 2007 - Happy Birthday Crazy Tony! As I cracked up laughing reading your birthday blog and viewing the pictures, I yelled into the living room where my housemate/sister was watching tv - wanna see a guy duct taped to a cot wearing an orange cone on his head? Of course, she did! We also appreciated the cinnimony grin. :) You are an amazing leader and I'm glad we chose your name as a fluke (My sister went to Erskine College. HA!) You have been a great inspiration to me. Thank you so much1 |
| 9th October 2007 Kath | - From: "David and Goliath" with a Twist "Let go, let God." |
| 5th October 2007 Kathy | So it looks like you had a little fun!?! - From: September 2007 - Happy Birthday Crazy Tony! Or maybe the guys had fun at your expense, either way it was probably a good time had by all -- so to speak. Things like that must be a bit of a stress reliever, just to get crazy for a few hours. You certainly made me smile reading it, so thanks to you and your guys for being silly for a little bit and having the nerve to let others see it, too!! Have a good day! Kath |
| 4th October 2007 Bryan | A Good Boss is hard to find! - From: February 2007 - Comanche Company Rocks Having a platoon sergeant like a patch of mold was some thing I could relate to. I had just been watching a BBC News report on Blackwater, therefore it was good to see your photos with happy children. A great blog! Bryan |
| 1st October 2007 Pastor Bob | God's servant - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! I have forwarded your blog address to many here at FCC. They need to be aware of the good work of the Gospel - in the midst of the battle. We are all so grateful for you and the other military personel who serve our country - and we praise God that those like you (Tony) have the Good News implanted so deeply in your heart that it simply spills out because of who you are in Christ. May the light of Christ shine even more - through us all - Christ's beloved Church. The Church is in the streets of Iraq!!! Pastor Bob |
| 26th September 2007 Laina in Florida | Praise God! - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! Tony, I have been following your blog since April and have been fascinated by all the work the Lord is doing in your life. I have passed your blog along to other Christian friends and asked they pray for you and your family. Your post this month just confirms that your purpose for serving is two-fold: not only are you a soldier for our country, you are a soldier for Christ and he is using you to expand His Kingdom millions of miles away. And in a land full of death, He brings new LIFE as he calls His own unto Him. My husband has always said the war on terror is also spiritual and the way you summed it up in 3 parts (physical, emotional, and spiritual) is right on target. I pray the Iraqi people see the example of Christ in so many US soldiers that they also are drawn in to the only love that saves. Thank you for all you do and keep up the good work!! |
| 26th September 2007 Paula Birmingham | Thank you Tony! - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! Your message is so appropriate. Thank you! And Praise God. His irresistable grace and love has captured the hearts of these men. |
| 23rd September 2007 Kathy | Always something to be thankful for!!! - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! There is the light of God in every man; sometimes you have to look really, really hard to find it and other times, it's shining very brightly already. Kath |
| 22nd September 2007 Amy-Beth | It never ends... - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! Half a world away, 3 1/2 years later, and you are still the best bible teacher/coach I will ever have. I am proud to say I am fighting this spiritual war with you on my team and pray for your safe return to your wonderfully amazingly loving wife and children. I will keep all these soldiers in my hearts and prayers that they are able to face this spiritual war with as much strength and courage as they have the physical. Love and Prayers always, Amy-Beth. |
| 22nd September 2007 Dad | Here is the Deal - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! ... and you are never going to believe what a good deal it is ... It is a deal you can't refuse. :) Love Dad |
| 21st September 2007 Eric | - From: Mid September 2007 - Special Edition - GREAT NEWS!!! Tony, reading about the wonderful work you're doing over there. Its pretty powerful stuff. I'm terrible with words, but I can't imagine a greater gift to give someone than what you are doing over there with your fellow soldiers. Reading your blog today reminded me of my *deal* with god. Thanks for bringing me to him. Please take care, and may god be with you. |
| 13th September 2007 Kathy | Agree/Disagree - From: August 2007 - Back In Iraq Your frustration is on a level much higher bec. of where you are & what you're doing, but every boss. no matter how nice or not nice, sooner or later wants the "worker people" to do something they THINK is a good idea and the worker people know darn well it's not. Unfortunately, that's life. But the fact that you recognize it and know it, don't you think that helps? Don't you think that means you are THINKING and understanding it and are articulating it? So getting it out -- I hope that helps. I work within the criminal justice system and so, yes, talk frustration to me, futility, hard work and constantly more work than is even imaginable -- yes, frustration. To deal with crime day in and day out, yes, I become frustrated, too. So, yes, talk about it all you can, bec. it doesn't do any good not to. And my usual -- there's always something to be thankful for -- and that is that you are a good person and have good people with you and around you, so God & family will keep you safe and keep you sane. And they do understand. Stay safe, stay well, come home soon. Kath |
| 12th September 2007 Christine | Hello - From: August 2007 - Back In Iraq Laura, It is so great to see how you, Tony, and your girls are doing. Congratulations to you again on your third! How exciting. This fall, Danny started the University of Maryland's part-time MBA program so we are back in the Northern Va area. Hope everyone in your family is doing well! Love, Christine |
| 11th September 2007 Dad | Reconciliation - From: August 2007 - Back In Iraq "We reconcile with our enemies, not with our friends." What does this mean? It means that trust must start with the strongest among us. It means that men of honor take risks and expect their enemy to be men of honor. "Hope springs ever eternal in the human breast." And this last... Let them pray that they do not sacrifice you on the alter of their democracy. Dad |
| 10th September 2007 Laura | I Love You - From: August 2007 - Back In Iraq Thank you for being an incredible husband, father, and soldier. You are my HERO. My WARRIOR. I LOVE YOU. Love, lolo |
| 8th September 2007 Beth in SC | Congrats! - From: July 2007 - We're Having a Baby!!! & Back To Iraq Your post is beautiful - your family (GROWING family!) and the relationship you have with your extended family - it's great! I keep you and your troops in my prayers and can't wait until all of you are home again. Thanks for letting us into your life! (an anysoldier cheerleader!) |
| 7th September 2007 James Mcilkenny | congratulations - From: July 2007 - We're Having a Baby!!! & Back To Iraq congratulations on the news of the baby, that's great! I've been following your blog with great interest since i first stumbled upon it in April. It's just great getting an honest and personal account of the life of a soldier and what's happening in Iraq. I was delighted to hear that the UK troops (i'm from scotland) have been pulled out of Basra, especially at such a difficult time, so I'm hoping you guys will be out soon enough. Best of luck to you mate, take care. James |
| 2nd September 2007 Kathy | Congrats on new family member to be! - From: July 2007 - We're Having a Baby!!! & Back To Iraq Congrats to you and your family. One of my AnySoldier contacts is getting ready to come home in just a few days, hope that will happen soon for you, too. There is always something to be thankful for. Please stay safe, stay well. Kath |
| 31st August 2007 Christy Marchand | Found it! - From: Cinque Terre It just took a little more trying to find this entry on the Cinque Terre, Tony. :) We will be staying two nights in Vernazza, or Town Num 2 as you have named it. :) Letter on the way. Stay safe! from the Marchands |
| 7th August 2007 Emily and Michael | we are praying for you! - From: We're Having a Another Baby!!! and for Laura and the girls. Congrats on another baby! We wish you all the best! |
| 31st July 2007 Grampa Erskine | Congrats - From: July 2007 - We're Having a Baby!!! & Back To Iraq Tony: A Great GRAND Son This time sounds good to me: so be it. You got it right about Laura, there was something about her that stole my heart the first time I met her. And, LOL, any lady that can put up with an Erskine has got to be the greatest. When you return it simply is a must for me to come visit, I have not seen you since the wedding but God willing I shall visit with you and yours soon. Sylva and I pray for you guys every night. God Bless and we love you. Grampa |
