Amanda loved JROTC...

Amanda loved life and all it had to bring. She refused to let Cystic Fibrosis stand in her way. One of her favorite pursuits was the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at Jack C. Hays the high school she graduated from in 2008. She loved it so much that she participated for all four years of high school. She excelled in rank and performance to be one of the top officers in the command by her senior year. Amanda may have become a Marine had they allowed CF'ers to be in the Corps.

Veronica, Amanda's mom, would always travel with the company when they went on competition trips and other trips. Veronica wanted to be close at hand, in case Amanda needed her. Veronica loves Amanda so much. So if it meant staying in a crappy hotel, putting up with rowdy teens, eating bad food and getting stung by wasps to the point that her eye was swollen shut, Veronica was always there. It was worth every minute to her.

Amanda was such an amazing marksman (as skill I'd like to believe she learned from shooting old Barbies with our crappy little BB gun back on the homestead). Amanda could be running a fever that would devastate most of us and still whip the pants of any of the boys when it came to marksman competition. She was also on the color guard and commanded it for a time.

We looked forward to the Marine Corps Ball each year. That was a big night out for the three of us. The boys would line up to dance with our angel. You could say she was the bell of the ball.

We were so happy that she chose JROTC. She met some of the best friends of her life because of her involvement in the program. She surrounded herself with some of the best and brightest young men and young women we'd ever met. Her friends were of such a high level of character and integrity, and we feel blessed by their friendship with our girl. The adult leadership of the company were some of the finest men we've ever known and we are thankful to them for the love and care that they extended to Amanda. Thank you Major Hamil and Gunny Magare. Fair winds and following seas. We thank God for you.

The picture above was taken by Gunny Magare, who was a dear friend and gave Amanda a guiding light and hope during a dark time in her life. A true leader and a true friend. He captured her in her element. That smile is what everyone would see when they saw Amanda. What a fitting tribute to who she is.

Please help us fight Cystic Fibrosis by donating to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Just follow the link below...
http://www.cff.org/GetInvolved/ManyWaysToGive/MakeADonation/