Valentine’s Day would have been Joey Theinert’s 35th birthday. (Courtesy photo)
Last Sunday would have been First Lieutenant Joseph Theinert’s 35th birthday. He gave his life to save others during his tour of duty in Afghanistan where he died on June 4, 2010, the victim of an improvised explosive device.
What Joey’s family did with their grief was to embrace his platoon members, which gave birth to the contribution of land in New Mexico for their use that had been a retreat for his mother and stepfather, Chrys and Francis Kestler.
Visiting with Joey’s platoon members “shaped a lot our ideas about how important it is for veterans to have time to spend with each other in a relaxed environment,” Ms. Kestler said. She and her husband knew the space would be perfect for veterans, their families and Gold Star families.