"Chemo complete….Cancer in remission….Ring that bell SrA Eleazar Hernandez!!! Knuckle…Busters!"
-Chief Chaddick

The first five words of the above sentence say it all. Diagnosed with cancer several months back and undergoing an extreme and aggressive treatment plan has been the theme of these two Warriors lives. Today, July 1, 2021, Eleazar got to ring the bell signaling his final chemo treatment. Surrounded by his healthcare providers and the Warriors that make up part of the 2nd Maintenance Squadron at Barksdale...complete with Base and Squadron leadership, Eleazar and Halie celebrated this milestone with tears of joy and the most sincere humility and gratitude I think I've ever seen.

We know that the lives of many many people are impacted by the word cancer daily. Outcomes spread from one extreme to the other. We sat down several times, pressed through tears, talked about hopes and dreams but also about reality and even the "what ifs". Together, these two have set an example of not only what it looks like to overcome the least expected, but to overcome together. The selfless love of a Warrior spouse is on display constantly through Halie, who not only loves her husband, but is also learning vital life lessons of strength, leadership, perseverance, and so much more. Together, both of them are writing a story that will impact the lives of many many individuals from here on out. Whether they realize it or not, the ripple effects of the last year of their lives will be the reason why Warriors in the future find the strength they need to face cancer. They have never claimed to be anything special, but we believe that is what makes them just that, special.

While we always remember and honor those who's outcome may have been different than their story, the humility and genuine goodness of these two Warriors is one that will carry the spirit of every single Warrior who has faced cancer in the past and who will face it in the future, whether they are a survivor physically or a survivor in our hearts and memories.

Well done you two. Not for kicking the crap out of cancer, rather for leading the way you have through it. Your maintenance family loves you. Your EW family loves you. And your Warrior family loves you! Among many others!

-Trey