Tommy Riles
November 12, 2012
Lives in: Los Angeles
Occupation: Comedian & Audience Warm-up, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Life of Dad Founder
Twitter: @tommyriles
Facebook: 575811228
Here at Life of Dad, the social network for dads, we are proud to honor heroic dads who fearlessly serve our country, as well as their families.
Today we salute Michael aka Father Muskrat, a husband, father of four, and a man that has given a large part of his adult life to this great country of ours.
Michael is currently a member of the Air National Guard, and for years served in the Air Force.
One of Michael’s most memorable moments overseas was turning 28 years old in the war zone of Balad, Iraq, in 2003. He smuggled over bourbon from friends care packages, and hid in the back of an ambulance to go into the city to eat real food instead of MRE’s.
A few days later was when Michael felt his life was in danger for the first time. The hospital he was stationed at was attacked by mortars, and a few of them landing within 50-75 yards of Michael and his comrades.
The next year, Michael met his future wife at a New Years Eve Party. She realized how awesome he was, so decided to see him again. Now they have four kids, and live in the outskirts of Atlanta.
In 2006, Michael was deployed to Andrews AFB, and enjoyed experiencing Washington D.C. The highlight was meeting President Bush with the help of a fraternity brother of his, who was in the Secret Service.
The most challenging time in the military for Michael was his 2007 deployment to Iraq, because he was leaving his family behind for the first time.
Now with a more normal work schedule, Michael is in charge of baths and pre-bedtime reading with his kids. Michael’s only son (3) enjoys putting train tracks together before bed and playing with his engines. Michael’s 5-year old daughter likes reading to her 2-year old sister, and her parents each night. On weekends, Michael puts his smallest kid in backpack and goes hiking through the woods.
Michael continues to serve his country while being a great dad and husband, which is why we are proud to honor him today, on the United States’ Independence Day.
Michael also keeps up one of the best and funniest Dad blogs on the web, check out The Muskrat, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo courtesy of Brittanylyane
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