This photo of my son Lt. Blake Bradford USAF and me was taken in June 2005 at our home in DeSoto, Texas, after Blake received his commission in the USAF.

When my son Lt. Blake Bradford USAF was a senior in high school one of his sisters was a freshman in high school. He worked as a cashier at a local grocery store. She wanted a $150 coat for Xmas which we couldn't afford. We told her to find something in the $70-$75 range to which she told us that she didn't want to spend money just to spend money. She would do without. When Blake heard about this he gave my wife $75 from what he had saved from work at the grocery store and told us to add that to the $75 we could afford and get his little sister Lindsey the coat that she wanted. He has demonstrated this kind of selflessness his whole life. He is a great example of the quality of men and women we have serving in our armed forces.

-- Stan Bradford of DeSoto, Texas