The fourth of July celebration this year in one California city is one that won't be forgotten anytime soon. Folsom welcomed one of their own home with a ceremony that saw thousands of residents lending their support.
Long Recovery
Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews spent the last 18 months recovering at the Walter Reed National Medical Center. In the August 2021 Kabul airport attack that took the lives of 13 soldiers, Vargas-Andrews lost both of his legs.
Vargas-Andrews spent his time in Maryland adjusting to life as a double amputee. The ceremony at the Folsom Pro Rodeo also honored those who did not make it back home.
"I'm not the first person to get blown up. Those 13 weren't the first 13 to get killed — there have been hundreds of thousands. It's very easy for attention to be brought and the support of communities to be strong at the beginning but it dies off very quickly. Those 13 families and the friends of those 13, they're never going to forget it, and hopefully, the rest of us won't either"
Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews
Supportive Community
Vargas-Andrews had the most significant injuries out of the 18 Marines hurt in the attack. However, according to his surgeons, he survived because of his physical fitness.
Vargas-Andrews joined the Marines in 2017, the year after he graduated from Folsom High School. His time in Kabul was spent reuniting Afghan kids and their families.
Vargas-Andrews said those who did not make it back from Kabul are what motivated him to keep going. In his speech on Sunday, he said, "I'm not a hero. This is something I have to do for myself and my family, for those 13 real heroes who are not standing here in my place."
The aspect that struck Vargas-Andrews the most about Sunday's ceremony was the sense of community. He was given a police motorcade escort from Sacramento International Airport home on Friday and was met by supporters.
His mom, Tiffany Andrews, said, "We moved to Folsom as a family in 2013, and I never knew the community we had until this. I'm so happy to call this my home after everything."
Remember my Brother Marine listed here. When you so called sports professionals refuse to stand up for our National Anthem! All of you who choose to do this totally 💯 disrespectful gesture should really be ashamed of yourself!!! ALL OF YOU! God bless America 🇺🇸 forever! USMC VETERAN!
As a Marine Vet, I Salute this Brave Hero for his efforts to save so many. I pray for his Comrades, who have made the ultimate sacrifice. May they Rest in Peace. May Almighty God continue to put His hand on this great man who has returned home. SEMPER FI & God Bless you.
To this special Marine, Tyler Vargas-Andrews, we say "Welcome home, sir; from the bottom of our hearts we thank you and your family, for the service and sacrifices you have made. May God always hold you and yours in the palm of His hand." To all the blood and treasure we have lost, may they rest in peace and may their families be able to, somehow, find a sense of peace and closure.
How sad that one party chooses to not learn from the Tragedy of Wars Past like Vietnam and REPEAT THE SAME END IE. DEFEAT! THE PARTY MAKES VETERANS LIKE MYSELF COME UP WITH RATIONALIZATIONS SO THAT WE CAN LIVE OUR LIVES! THE PARTY SAYS WELCOME HOME BUT DO THEY EVEN REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE AGAINST THE WAR IN VIETNAM AND WERE QUITE ADESE WITH LOOSING! PROBABLEY BECAUSE THEY WERE STATESIDE! AFPHGANISTAN WAS JUST LIKE VIETNAM AT THE END! I HOPE THAT HE IS NOT IN CHARGE AT THE END OF UKRAIN AND RUSSIA! I PRAY FOR THIS ADMINISTRATION TO PRAY FOR IT NOT TO END LIKE VIETNAM OR THE WAR THAT CAME NEXT!
If Musk go silent I will know why! There are many reasons BUT SADDLY I HAVE WATCHED THE WRITTEN AND NEWSPAPER NEWS --------- TAKE THE SIDE OF THE "D" PARTY! PERIOD!