When we’re young, most of us grow up with dreams and aspirations of starting a family. We often think that it will be a bed of roses and that everything will fall in place in due course. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. One Ohio couple who understood this all too well was Tyler and Mandi Palmer. The road to building the ideal family for them has been filled with potholes and obstacles which made the journey all the more difficult. Thankfully, a ray of hope came when they became foster parents of a young baby boy. Still, life kept throwing them curveballs. Just one year later they had a court date which would decide the fate of their family. With anxiety and tension in the air, they waited with bated breath for the final verdict. They could have never expected that their little baby would have chimed in one word to break the silence in the room, a word which would seal their fate forever.

Tyler Palmer’s Duty

Before Tyler and Mandi even met and began the journey of life together as a married couple, in 2010, Tyler made a life-changing decision, one which showed his devotion and love to his country in the highest way possible. He enrolled in the US-Army. He had to undergo strict and severe training. However, he was able to pass the necessary preliminary stages, and with that, he was sent off to participate in perhaps one of the most dangerous missions ever.

He was sent to Afghanistan, which, at the time, was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous war zones ever. The war between Afghanistan and the US lasted for several years after the US forcefully invaded the area in 2001. The war is still underway and has led to much bloodshed and death, both for Middle-Easterns as well as for US-Americans. Thankfully, he was able to come out unscathed, but the experience he had in Afghanistan will forever be etched in his mind, as is the case with many war-survivors. However, he has managed to move on with his life, establishing himself as an upstanding member of society. He had hoped to start a family, although he could have never expected the journey towards realizing his goal would be so challenging.