Proud Marine

I’ve never served in the military, but I have a lot of respect for those that have and are. Over the years I’ve had many relatives and friends serve our country in all the different branches of the United States military. My son Jeremy, my brother Jim, my daughter in law Jennifer, father in law, uncles, cousins, nephews and the list is long of friends of mine that have put on the uniform to serve and protect our country.

But my dad’s military service stands out to me. He talked about his time in the military often. It was the early 1950’s when he joined the Marine Corp and was shipped off to San Diego California for boot camp, then later served in Korea, during the Korean War. I’m thankful for all the pictures he took while in the military and Korea. Dad was a mechanic and worked on airplanes. Being in Korea had a big impact on his life. When he talked about his military career, he was always proud of the fact that he served and how it taught him life lessons

What strikes me more than anything is how dad took what he learned in the military and carried those lessons in life. Dad did things military style at home and at work, all in a good way. He even kept his military haircut which he kind of was teased about for the rest of his life. He was so proud of his military service. I remember at his funeral when taps were played in the cemetery at his graveside and the Legion presented the American flag to my mother, how I cried and how proud I was of him at that moment. He served his country well. 

Fast forward about 10 years from my dad’s funeral, my son Jeremy joined the Army after 9/11. One of the proudest moments of my life was dropping him off at the Army recruiting station in Willmar to begin basic training and saying goodbye. It was a sad day because we wouldn’t be seeing him very often anymore for the next 4 years, but i remember being so proud of him and his decision to serve his country. Then a few years later, we were at Fort Hood Texas to see him off to Iraq, lots of emotions that day for sure, I cried then to, not because I was sad, or scared for him going into a very bad war zone, i cried because i was so very proud of him. He was going to put his life on the line for us. They all do when they sign up for military service. And some don’t come back home.

So on this Memorial Day we recognize those that gave the ultimate sacrifice, there life! So we can live in this great country.

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