I don’t know if I’ve ever felt such conflicting emotions. My oldest son, Lee (who just had his 20th birthday), joined the Army National Guard today with the goal of becoming an MP (Military Police).
Lee had mentioned his interest in the military a number of times over the last couple of years, but I never really realized just how seriously he was considering it. He’s always had a strong sense of duty as shown in his desire to be a police officer and the time he spends volunteering in the Police Reserves. Over the past year he’s been spending more and more time physically preparing himself by doing daily push-ups, sit-ups, as well as running for 3 or 4 miles every other day.
This didn’t really hit home for me or for Paula, though, until he actually spoke to the recruiter for the first time. Then the realization began to sink in step by step. Our son really wants to do this. Our son is really doing this. Our son is sworn in and committed to this.
We’ve never been more proud of him or more frightened for him. This will be an 8 year commitment in total. Sometime in August he will have his picture taken in uniform (which I will post). Back to back basic training/military police training starts in November of this year and doesn’t end until April of next year (during which time he will only be home once – during Christmas). After the training and for the next 2 years, he will be living at home while attending school, working at Target, and working with the National Guard one weekend per month. After 2 years, he is subject to deployment in both local and federal military operations (including being sent overseas). Considering the rate of National Guard deployment lately because of Iraq and Afghanistan, Lee’s chance of going overseas is quite high. Obviously, this is what scares us the most.
At the risk of sounding biased, Lee is a genuinely good and decent person who cares deeply about others. I know the military is a strict and extremely challenging environment both mentally and physically. I and the rest of the family know that Lee will meet these challenges to the best of his ability. Although we hope Lee will come through all of this safely, what we know as a fact is that the military will be a better place simply because Lee is part of it.
Lee had mentioned his interest in the military a number of times over the last couple of years, but I never really realized just how seriously he was considering it. He’s always had a strong sense of duty as shown in his desire to be a police officer and the time he spends volunteering in the Police Reserves. Over the past year he’s been spending more and more time physically preparing himself by doing daily push-ups, sit-ups, as well as running for 3 or 4 miles every other day.
This didn’t really hit home for me or for Paula, though, until he actually spoke to the recruiter for the first time. Then the realization began to sink in step by step. Our son really wants to do this. Our son is really doing this. Our son is sworn in and committed to this.
We’ve never been more proud of him or more frightened for him. This will be an 8 year commitment in total. Sometime in August he will have his picture taken in uniform (which I will post). Back to back basic training/military police training starts in November of this year and doesn’t end until April of next year (during which time he will only be home once – during Christmas). After the training and for the next 2 years, he will be living at home while attending school, working at Target, and working with the National Guard one weekend per month. After 2 years, he is subject to deployment in both local and federal military operations (including being sent overseas). Considering the rate of National Guard deployment lately because of Iraq and Afghanistan, Lee’s chance of going overseas is quite high. Obviously, this is what scares us the most.
At the risk of sounding biased, Lee is a genuinely good and decent person who cares deeply about others. I know the military is a strict and extremely challenging environment both mentally and physically. I and the rest of the family know that Lee will meet these challenges to the best of his ability. Although we hope Lee will come through all of this safely, what we know as a fact is that the military will be a better place simply because Lee is part of it.
I am extremely proud of Lee. We civilians are so lucky to have men (and women) like Lee that have a desire to make the world a better place by protecting us. We owe him and the others like him so much. I am honored to call Lee family.
ReplyDeleteWell said Keith. We're proud, concerned and happy for Lee.
ReplyDelete