In the studio, Kristi Lee was joined by Tim and Tiffany Stoner of Familyprint in celebration of Memorial Day. As unique as a fingerprint, each family survives and thrives differently under challenging circumstances. Army Reservist and Bronze Star recipient Lt Col Timothy Stoner, commander of Indiana's first Black Hawk unit in Iraq, and his wife transformed their experience of his deployment into the catalyst for efforts to pay it forward. Trading wingtips for combat boots and managing four children under the age of six, they turned difficulty into an experience of graciousness, growth and gratitude. On the podcast, they share their personal account of what it was like to be a military family during a time of war.
After a jagged military path that left him put him rare ground as not only an Airborne Ranger but an Aviator, Tim describes when he was deployed to Iraq the overwhelming sense of accountability to the soldiers under his care. He not only had close relationships with the soldiers, but their spouses, parents and children.
He describes Medevac as the last Hail Mary on the battlefield, and discusses the ethical choices Medevac teams face when saving U.S. soldiers, and even the enemy. He suggests the transition on the 'pain-healing' side of the equation was a good place to be after years being enlisted in the infantry.
Tim and Tiffany Stoner published a book and launched a nonprofit called FamilyPrint. It is a coffee-table book which includes amazing images that Nathaniel Edmunds Photographycaptured during Tim's deployment to Iraq. Since the launch, they have donated over $30K benefiting children with a deployed parent.