Monday, May 30, 2005
Memorial Day
Heading into Memorial Day this year gives me a little more to think about. My middle daughter, Becca, is about to report to her post as an Air Force officer by next weekend and my middle son, Ben, will be leaving for Marine boot camp at the end of the summer. Ben's test scores qualified him for just about any assignment he wanted; Ben chose Infantry and hopes he will be found skilled enough to be chosen for Recon, the most dangerous assignment he can get.
I'll admit, I've probably underappreciated the sacrifices that others in the military have made for our country. My draft number was a safe 213 during Vietnam and my Father never was in the military either; he was in the States, serving by manufacturing battleships during World War II.
The military has never been a part of my life—until now. Now, the news reports of serviceman deaths or injuries in far corners of the world have a lot more poigniency for me. The losses, both to the service people and their families hit a lot closer to home.
Yet I wouldn't want them to do anything different than what they've chosen. Ben talks of giving back to his country for all it's given to him and I'm reminded of how much we have all been given and at what cost to so many. Ben had his problems with motivating himself in his last few years of high school and his three-semester shot at college before he decided that he needed to do what was in his heart instead of following the path that he felt everyone expected of him.
Now there's a new life to him that I'm happy to see. I'm proud of his choice and proud to be part of a country where young men and women freely choose to take on the risks they do for others, not only here, but to benefit people in countries far away as well.
I don't think Memorial Day will ever be quite the same for me ever again.
Jeff
Heading into Memorial Day this year gives me a little more to think about. My middle daughter, Becca, is about to report to her post as an Air Force officer by next weekend and my middle son, Ben, will be leaving for Marine boot camp at the end of the summer. Ben's test scores qualified him for just about any assignment he wanted; Ben chose Infantry and hopes he will be found skilled enough to be chosen for Recon, the most dangerous assignment he can get.
I'll admit, I've probably underappreciated the sacrifices that others in the military have made for our country. My draft number was a safe 213 during Vietnam and my Father never was in the military either; he was in the States, serving by manufacturing battleships during World War II.
The military has never been a part of my life—until now. Now, the news reports of serviceman deaths or injuries in far corners of the world have a lot more poigniency for me. The losses, both to the service people and their families hit a lot closer to home.
Yet I wouldn't want them to do anything different than what they've chosen. Ben talks of giving back to his country for all it's given to him and I'm reminded of how much we have all been given and at what cost to so many. Ben had his problems with motivating himself in his last few years of high school and his three-semester shot at college before he decided that he needed to do what was in his heart instead of following the path that he felt everyone expected of him.
Now there's a new life to him that I'm happy to see. I'm proud of his choice and proud to be part of a country where young men and women freely choose to take on the risks they do for others, not only here, but to benefit people in countries far away as well.
I don't think Memorial Day will ever be quite the same for me ever again.
Jeff
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