Gitmo friends
My family(step-dad is Lt Cmdr John Shearin) met the Alfords in Gitmo in 1971. My sister, Lisa Smith, became "Baby Katie's" best friend. Because of that special relationship, we all became friends of Capt Alford and his sweet family. What a fun family- smart, witty, adventurous, and they totally loved and bonded with my Mississippi family. The Alfords treated Lisa as one of their's and included her on some fun Caribbean adventures. I still have her T-shirt and many pictures from one of them. Because Lisa and Katie couldn't bear to part at the end of the tours in Gitmo, the Alfords invited Lisa up to New Hampshire to live for the remainder of the school year. She loved every minute of it. We loved sharing her with them. Because my sweet Lisa died in a car wreck in 1976, while a freshman at the University of Southern Mississippi, Katie has become my angel, my confidant, my friend in Lisa's memory. Thank you Capt Alford for giving life to this special person. Thank you for your service to our country. I hope Lisa was waiting at the gate for you with a big smile, ready to begin heavenly adventures much like the ones you provided her with while she spent so little time on this earth. Thanks for the memories. God Bless your family!
Brenda Smith Nowell
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