The coolest present ever...

My birthday was a week ago but I haven't been able to post this present because my sister was getting one, too. It was a present I never imagined receiving and brought me to tears as I opened it!

This was my present:

The plaque says "This flag was flown in honor of Anna R. Weston on September 30, 2007 in the skies of Iraq and Afganastan." (I don't know how to rotate the pic. I downloaded it horizontal three times!)

My brother, Joel, is a captain in the Air Force and was stationed in Quatar last fall for over 4 months. While he was there, he flew missions into several different countries carrying various cargo including people, back-hoes, etc.

Here is part of the email he sent explaining our flags:

Happy Birthday to both of you. By now, you should have opened your birthday present and if you are still waiting...shame on you. This idea came to me some time last year after I first starting flying over there. Knowing I would likely be flying on each of your birthdays, I put two flags in my bag and waited to see how the schedule played out. As you now know, I indeed flew on your respective birthdays.

Anna, on your birthday, I transported supplies and equipment for V-22 Offsprey from Al Asad, Iraq to Bagram, Afghanistan. The V-22 is the tilt-rotor aircraft that looks like an airplane with two rotors that tilt up to takeoff and land like a helicopter. I have two pictures of your flag. One if of my crew outside in Afghanistan and one is of me under the flag once it was hung.

Leah, on your birthday, we carried armored street vehicles from the capital city of Iraq (Bagdad) to the capital city of Afghanistan (Kabul). My crew took a picture under your flag while on the jet. I was honored to fly on these important days and I want you to know you were with me in spirit as I thought of the two of you.

Here are the pics he attached, too. My brother is the one without hair.