Hi, I’m James Farrell Jr., a senior at Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, IL. I come from a family with a long history of service to the military. My grandpa was drafted in 1965 and trained at Fort Dix in New Jersey, which was the same place that his father Bill, and his uncles Raymond, Arthur, and John all taught infantry training in ’36 and ’37. He was then stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska with the 472nd MP Yukon Command in the criminal investigative division in the ’60s. Years later, my uncle John served both active and reserve in the Marine Corp from 1988 to 1999, when he departed as a captain. He won several awards including the National Defense Metal, Arctic Service Ribbon, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. 

Given that history of service, whenever I see a uniformed soldier in public, I’m sure to thank them for their service. I want to do everything I can to support the brave and important work service members do day in and day out. Care for Country’s Heroes is a way to give back, in my own small way.