I can’t think of anything else I would have rather done today than what I did and that was to stand in support of sailor Ryan Poklemba of the United States Navy who returned home to Endicott after serving our country in Afghanistan.

Early this afternoon we received a message from Ryan's Mom, Karen, informing us that her son would be returning home this afternoon and asked if we could help spread the world in hopes of gathering some people together to stand in support of Ryan and the sacrifices he's made for our country.

I think one of the most amazing parts about getting to welcome Ryan home was seeing all the kids from St. Anthony's Learning Center who came waving flags and holding signs they'd made themselves. I had a chance to talk to them before they greeted Ryan and spotted a little boy wearing a Batman hoodie.  I pointed to the boy's hoodie and explained that everyone knows that Batman and Superman and Spiderman are all superheroes, but that Ryan is more of a superhero than all three combined. I explained that his job was to protect our country and each one of us and that not all superheroes wear capes. The kids, all around 4-years-old, got wide eyed.  I'm not sure if they completely understood what I was saying, but they thought it was pretty cool they were getting the chance to meet a real life superhero in person and were going to be able to say thank you to him for protecting them and their families.

98.1 The Hawk looks forward to welcoming many more of our military superheroes home. If you know of a service member coming home and think they’d appreciate a crowd of love, please let us know so that we can spread the word. You can call  607-772-8400 and ask for my extension or fill out the form underneath the pictures below.

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