Joe and Jen just before he deployed to Iraq. Joe served in the first gulf war, and went to Iraq twice during this recent conflict before he died an untimely death last year. He was a hero to our family long before the War started though. When our son Andrew was born in 1996, Joe was one of the first volunteer firemen to show up at our house after our home birth. Both Andy and I needed Emergency Transport and Joe ended up in the Ambulence with Andrew. He offered a prayer for our son that made an immediate difference in his vital signs as they traveled to the hospital. We will always love Joe for the hero he is.