Most Cardinal fans who have been online over the last few years got to know JERB, the master of multimedia who posted full games, game clips on youtube and animated GIFs for the faithful. Some may know about the health issues his son went through. Fewer may know what JERB did about it. Here's a CJ story about it, with the headline: "Army dad's homecoming surprises kids at school."
On a weekend leave from the Army, officer candidate Justin Bowen made a surprise visit Friday to see his three children at Jonathan Jennings Elementary School in Charlestown.
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The homecoming was especially sweet for Bowen. When he left for boot camp at Fort Benning in Georgia about six months ago, Shawn had lost all his hair from undergoing chemotherapy to treat leukemia. His dad said he's now in remission and his hair is back - as is his energy, based on his excitement Friday
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"I never thought I would be in the Army," Bowen said. But he lost his job as an accountant last year about eight months after Shawn was diagnosed. As Bowen and his wife Sanya, who comes from a military family, thought about providing the long-term medical care their son needed, she suggested he consider the Army. With his background, he qualified -- and he said the Army is making sure his son gets the needed treatment.
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One June 10 Bowen is to complete that training and then go to Fort Knox for its last 12-week armor training class. After that, he said, he will become an armor platoon leader. He doesn't know where he'll be stationed then, but Bowen said he's been told Afghanistan is a strong possibility. He returns to Fort Benning on Monday.
We try not to get political too much around here at the Chron (stop calling it that) but on Memorial Day weekend, it feels appropriate to thank Jerb, hothot and everyone else who wears a uniform or has worn a uniform for our country. Thank you.