Page 9 - Aerotech News and Review, July 21 2017

WEDDING, from 8
fell in love.
Hancock has never allowed himself to be defined by what happened in
Baghdad, even though it shaped the rest of his life.
Adriana Gonzalez saw the man, not the injuries.
Gonzalez came from a military family. Her father, retired Army Sgt. 1st
Class Luis Gaxiola, made multiple trips to Iraq and her mother, Sylvia Gaxi- ola, championed the Blue Star Mothers of the Antelope Valley.
Adriana and Jerral’s growing children — Julius and Anastasia — simply recognized one another as being one of the big things in all their lives.
The family Hancock 2.0 version — mom Stacie, stepdad Dirrick sister Savannah and Cav veteran Hancock got the keys to the Rough Rider Ranch in the run-up to Memorial Day 2015, with hundreds of friends, supporters and dignitaries present.
On July 4, 2017, with fireworks bursting in the skies above the Antelope Valley, the new Mr. and Mrs. Hancock welcomed their wedding guests at their Rough Rider Ranch property, beneath a tent that was decorated appropriately in red, white and blue.
The cake — a specialty creation of the new Mrs. Hancock — was also red, white and blue. Mini-cakes featured photos of Jerral in uniform, and Adriana and Jerral caught in joy together.
OATH fundraising drive veterans Nicole Skinner and Tia Phillips, joined with another friend from OATH, Keishawn Abney, in participating at the wedding gala. They were teenagers when they went to work to raise money for the homestead and ranch. Now they are the age Jerral was when he was wounded, but not killed.
“I didn’t think I’d get emotional, but I did get emotional, because I just think of how far Jerral has come,” said Skinner, who attends Cal State University Bakersfield.
As of 2015, more than 1,500 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan had sustained wounds that caused, or required, amputation.
At the “Lt. Dan Band” concert, Memorial Day 2014 at the Hangar stadium in Lancaster, Gary Sinise said, “If every community in America did what the Antelope Valley community is doing, the problems for our veterans would be solved ... We can always do a little more.”
Courtesy photograph
Left to right: Dennis Anderson, Bob Alvis and Jerral Hancock.
WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY CHILD IS
Uniquely
BRILLIANT
We offer an education solution that fits your military family life.
Tuition-free* online public schools powered by K12 offer military families a consistent educational experience.
• Rigorous and engaging curriculum
• State-certified teachers and highly supportive school staff • Access anywhere through an internet connection
Paid Advertisement. No Federal endorsement of advertiser intended.
*You must reside in a state that has a K12 online public school. Families do not pay tuition for a student to attend an online public school. Common household items and office supplies like printer ink and paper are not provided. Our enrollment consultants can help address your technological and computer questions and needs.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
FIND YOUR ONLINE SCHOOL
K12.COM/ USA 855.549.1018
July 21, 2017 Aerotech News and Review 9 www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview