The name Joshua Klibert is not a household name. I’ve known his dad, Kevin, and mother, Lisa Jackson, most of their lives.

Josh graduated from St. Charles Catholic High School and lettered in football and swimming. Though we crossed paths a few times, I never really knew Josh. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 19. I, like most people, haven’t seen much of Josh in the last 12 years as he made the Army his career.

While attending the St. Charles High School Boosters Club meeting Tuesday night, his dad tapped me on the shoulder and proudly introduced me to Josh. Kevin is hard to ignore. He makes his presence known, but Tuesday night it wasn’t about him; it was about Josh.

In the course of our conversation, I found out that Josh had spent three one-year tours of duty in Iraq. He shared that in September he would depart for his fourth tour in Iraq.

Recently, our troops have departed from Iraq, but Josh, now in security, will be in Iraq to serve in a different role.

When Louis Authement introduced Josh at the meeting and shared part of his military history, the crowd gave him a rightly deserved standing ovation. I looked across at his mother as she tried to hold back her emotions. It was a moving tribute to a young man unafraid to do his job in protecting our freedom.

In today’s world, the people who make the news are the criminals, highly paid athletes, entertainers and politicians, not the quiet, real heroes of our country like Josh.

That night, Josh wasn’t presented with a championship ring, trophy, or honorary proclamation. He was honored as an All-American boy in the presence of his proud parents.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.