Service Man’s Daughter Dedicates Song to Father

Alexis Fleener, 18, writes songs for her dad, Darren Linde. "It's one of the worst feelings, on the other hand it's one of the best feelings, knowing he's protecting everything we work for." Darren is stationed in Afghanistan (his second tour of duty) for the Army National Guard. Darren was offered a job as instructor at the Regional Army Institute two years ago, and a part-time job became a full-time lifestyle. "It's a commitment. He's gone not just for deployment, but months of training before he's deployed." The family recently moved to Devil's Lake, North Dakota from Sidney, Montana.

Military dads miss out on a lot- Darren wasn't there for Alexis' high school graduation in May of this year. Alexis moved to Illinois for college one week after graduating, and that made it a really tough time for mom Adrienne. Witnessing a milestone without one's spouse is one of the hardest things to do. Adrienne still has a daughter and a son living nearby in Devil's Lake. Another daughter lives in Fairview, Montana.

Darren's family includes parents Dwight and Lana Linde of Williston, ND and Dennis and Debbie Buxbaum of Sidney; and siblings Amanda Buxbaum Skogen of Sidney and Darcy Conckergood of Helena, MT.

The family went on a Mexico cruise in February 2012. They took lots of family with them, making memories to help them get by while Darren would be away.

Always a singer, Alexis started putting videos on YouTube in her junior year. She sang country, then country-pop, and now does whatever she likes. She wanted people to hear not just the song, but hear the story. Her love for her dad and pride in his work sounds out in every note. You can see Alexis' video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XvYUk-FN2I or at http://www.roundupweb.com