This blog is dedicated in honor of my brother CPL Thomas L Hilbert. Thomas lost his life in Mosul, Iraq with two other comrades Cpl Jason Hernandez and Sgt Christian "Moose" Wilson on September 7, 2007. They were killed while on a combat mission by and IED (improvised explosive device. This blog is also for any and all that have served our country rather it was past, present, or future.
Thomas was 20 years old when he gave his life for his country. He was on his first tour in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He was set to come home in January of 2008. He had already planned a family vacation for all of us to Las Vegas and booked the hotel. We were going there to celebrate his 21st birthday along with my 28th. Thomas and I are 7 years and 1 day apart. He would have been born on my birthday but the doctor had already scheduled a golf game for that day. We always thought it was cool to have our birthday's right next to each other. Thomas was a very hyper person. Getting him to sit still was a task in itself. Thomas' big accomplishment was graduating from high school. It wasn't that he wasn't smart if anything he was very intelligent he just couldn't pay attention long enough to care. Thomas had a heart of gold, he loved everyone, and would give you his last dime if you needed it.
Thomas had always considered the military because it offered the structure he needed. He suffered from ADHD and everyone knows structure is the best thing for ADHD. He decided one day while my parents were out of town to enlist. Once he made his mind up about something no one was going to be able to change it. We were raised in a very small town Venus, Tx the type of town that had little to do or many rarely left. Thomas did not want to get "stuck" living in Venus, he wanted to see the world. College at the time didn't seem like an option to him since he had a hard time just graduating high school, so of course he figured he'd join the army and see the world that way.
Thomas enjoyed the time he spent in the military so much so he was already talking of re-enlisting. He was a Calvary Scout in the Army. He loved it, he was very proud to be a "Cav Scout". He would tell people all the time
"Even though everyone believes the Marines are the first one's in that the truth was that no one went in until the Cav Scouts went in to well "scout".He always loved the Cav saying "First in, Last Out" he said it was a very true statement and took pride in that fact. He also would sign his letters back home with the saying "Scouts Out"
Thomas had no children but had niece's and nephews he loved very much. Since his death he has two more niece's that I know he's watching over. My family is very active in all things military and honoring those that serve. Thomas is very much apart of our lives so much so that my son William,who was 1 when Thomas was killed, talks of Thomas as though he remembers him very well.
I hope that everyone finds this blog informative and inspires you to thank a veteran everyday.
