Our families, too: Community took the time to say thank you to local volunteers

Les Williams' story is not all that unique.

The Air Force technical sergeant spends his time at home as the coach of a peewee football team.

He encourages the team to do its best and challenges them to be better people as they learn to be better sportsmen.

His heart is with his team, which includes his son, whenever they are on the field -- even when he is thousands of miles away.

Deployed now, he can only keep track of his Rosewood team through e-mail and video. But that does not stop him from making sure they have not forgotten the lessons he has taught them about doing their best.

And Tuesday, the people of Rosewood decided that they needed to say thank you for all that he -- and his wife, Tonya, who has been serving as a volunteer to help out in his absence -- have done for their children.

So, they escorted Tonya out into the middle of the field and read a letter from her husband about what she -- and their family -- mean to him.

And in the process, they showed the Williams family just what each of them means to their adopted hometown.

There are plenty of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base personnel who give to their community every day. They are important parts of parent-teacher groups, charitable organizations and children's sports teams. Without them, the county would really be missing something.

Les and Tonya Williams are just two of those community heroes.

How nice that their community had the chance to say thank you in the most meaningful way possible -- by reuniting their family, if only for a moment.

Published in Editorials on October 20, 2010 11:00 AM