Re: Toughest Thing I Ever Did

Just wanted to add MY .02 worth. On Tuesday of this week, my son came home after an overnight stay at a motel arranged by a local Army National Guard recruiter [purpose of the overnighter: so they could spring the "oh-dark-thirty" wakeup call on the new recruits]. My son has now joined the Army National Guard, and will be shipping out on March 11th for Fort Jackson, SC for basic training...then on to Fort Lee, VA for tech school.

This is my oldest child, and my only son. HE sees this as a chance to get his college education paid for; Ol' DAD sees this as a chance to take an all-expense-paid tour of Iraq, as it's the Guard and Reserves who are shouldering most of the load on this excursion. And it includes a chance to see my son in a flag-draped box. So this is particularly hard for Ol' DAD to handle.

But on another level, I'm proud of him for making the committment. And I almost had tears in my eyes when he explained to me that his MOS translated to "parts man"... partly because that's what I did for over 30 years, but mostly because that will make him a third-generation parts man...my dad was probably the best parts man I have ever known. Remember the guy who not only knew what part you were trying to explain, but could go to the bin and pull the part without ever looking at the parts book [he had the number memorized]...and THEN give you tips on the proper technique to install it? That was "Pappy." "Pappy" passed away unexpectedly in 1991, but I'm sure if he could see the kind of man my son has grown to be, I'm sure he'd be just as proud of him as I am right now.

And while I'm proud that my son chose to serve his country...as a dad, I still kinda wish he'd have checked out what the Air Force had to offer...after all, they don't do infantry, do they? But I realize that, as kids grow up, they have to learn to make their own decisions. And even if I didn't agree with his decision, I guess I would have to respect his right to make his own choices. Still, as a dad, there's this urge to protect him from dangers. And yet I know that the only way for him to become successful in life is for him to take risks. I just pray that he's learned enough in life to this point to just take the sensible risks...that is, if any exist.

OK...I'll put my soapbox away now.

Dec 20, 1990, my wife boarded a C-141 bound for Saudi Arabia for the first gulf war, Desert Storm.

I remember helping the unit tear down the Christmas tree, and take down the lights.

I remember the long drive back home from Fort Hood, Texas, with her car on a trailer behind my truck. It was a very quiet trip.

We don't have kids, so the next couple of months were way too quiet. I remember getting home from work every evening, having a can of chili or beef stew, and watching the evening news. Sometimes, I even took the trouble to warm up the stew.

I remember Peter Jennings, one evening, saying, "We're going to dump out of that story, and switch you live to Bagdad!" The next images were of the opening bombs in the air war.

I remember getting a couple telephone call at 2am, with the operator saying, "Collect call from Saudi Arabia. Will you accept the charges?" There was no e-mail connection to the troops back then, and she had to wait in a long line for 5 minutes at the phone bank, whenever she had the chance to get to town.

I remember a telephone call at my desk at work, one wonderful day in May. "Collect call from Saudi Arabia. Will you accept the charges?" That was followed by "I'm coming home tomorrow!"

I thank God she came back to me in one piece.

The base photographer took a picture of Jodie and me, the day she got home. We were sitting on the side of the flatbed trailer, with her car chained behind us. I was in civilian clothes; she was in her DCUs, complete with helmet and M16. We were just enjoying each other's company again.

May God bless you, your family and your son.

I think courage, common sense, and willingness to do the right thing go a long way toward survival in many things in life. Your piece reflects that your son has inherited all of those qualities from his hard working American family. This is why we have fought past wars and why we have won them. I salute your family.

You should be so proud of your son, and even though the chances are remote of harm coming to him, you have to let go, and accept the future as it happens. You must have done a wonderful job as a parent to have raised such a son! In my eyes, my son has already "died", even though he has not even left home, and that is a terrible feeling for a parent to have!

In the meantime, my son had met a special young lady who has since been his inspiration to be the best that he can be. After her high-school graduation, she enlisted in the Reserves, and after basic and tech school, she enrolled this past January in an in-state college. My son's plan is to join her there after his basic and tech school--they're to be part of the same Guard unit locally--and get his degree. Menatime, while he's in basic and can't get off base to spend money, I'm to take his direct-deposit pay and make sure his bills are taken care of--something he wasn't particularly concerned with in the past.

So don't give up hope...my son was also "lost" for awhile, but now that he has motivation and direction in his life, he's on a course to turn his life around. I pray every day that he'll continue on the path he's chosen, and he'll continue to see that this life is sometimes a reflection of what you put into it ("as ye sow, so also shall ye reap"). But you farmers already knew that one.

Mark