Posted on 06/12/2002 7:32:27 AM PDT by ohioWfan
I want you to meet my son, Eric. He was born in 1984, the third of our four children, and on Sunday he graduated from High School in the class of 2002 as part of the so-called ‘Millennium Generation.’ President Bush has told members of the class of 2002 that they are graduating into a very different world than previous classes have done. He is right.
Eric has always been called what child experts label a ‘compliant’ child. As a small boy, he was so sensitive to wrongdoing, that he would cry when we raised our voices at him. He never needed punishment. Eric is still acutely aware of his own sinful nature, even though outwardly he never does anything very wrong. At the same time, he is very sensitive to the pain of others, and has cried because friends of his were in rebellion against God, and hurting themselves and others as a result.
Eric loves to make people happy. From the time he was a baby, we called him our ‘laughing boy’ because he smiled or laughed all the time. He still does. He loves to make others laugh too, and is gifted at imitating voices…….he can do a perfect Yoda or any number of other Star Wars characters, and can recite the entire script of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in flawless dialect, or quote lines from Braveheart and any number of other movies with perfection. He is a charming young man, who makes people happy just to be around him.
At the same time, Eric has always been a warrior. At 18 months he was seen wielding a piece of orange and yellow Hotwheels track, keeping his older brother and sister hostage in the bathroom, and delighting at their yells for help. He once chased the neighborhood kids around with a saw because he felt he had been fouled one too many times in a pick-up basketball game. He was 6 years old. He has been an avid Civil War collector since he was 8 or 9, but the only things he ever really wanted were the guns and the swords. He ran an entire Cross Country race on a stress fracture in his foot because he refused to quit ‘pressing on toward the goal.’
He is quiet, yet bold; so bold in his faith that he told his classmates Sunday in his Valedictory speech that the only way they could have a truly successful future was through faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ. His greatest desire in life is to serve that Savior and live a Christ-like life, and to serve others. He is handsome, mature, stable, interested in history and politics, fiercely competitive, wanting to be the best he can be at everything he pursues, a talented athlete and musician, and well liked by his peers…… and pretty much everyone who has ever met him. He is our son, and we are proud of him.
But today, our pride is mingled with tears, because last night he left for Army Basic training in Ft. Knox, Kentucky. In the Spring of 2001 when he was a junior, an Army Recruiter came to his school looking for potential recruits. Eric took note, but wasn’t really interested. Then in August, he got a call from the Recruiter, and felt as though he should pursue it. He and his Dad met with the Recruiter, we all prayed about it, and knew that God was leading him to join the Army Reserves.
It was a great deal. The men at the recruiting station did not try to hide their pleasure at the new Commander in Chief. The Army would help pay for college, train him in a different field while he attended college, so he would end up doubly ready for a career. He only had to put in a weekend a month, and two weeks in the summer, and would be paid for it to boot, and the only way his unit would ever be mobilized beyond the United States, would be ‘World War III’.......A great deal.
Then came September 11, and the world as we knew it came crashing down. I waited for a day after the attack, so he could start to absorb what it meant for him, and asked Eric how he was doing about the Army thing. He said ‘OK.’ And then said he now knew he had signed up for the right reasons…….not just for the college money, but because he wanted to serve his country, and now he knew they needed him.
Today he is beginning preparation for whatever his country, and his Commander in Chief, want him to do, along with thousands of others of young men and women who have made the same choice. A number of his friends have joined different branches of the service. Some young men and women have postponed college plans to serve actively, while others, like Eric, will be able to go later next year, and serve in a reserve capacity.
Last summer, Eric worked at a blueberry farm, cleaning barns and warehouses, played tennis and goofed around with his friends. This summer will be very different. Even though boot camp is not what it used to be, it is still tough, and Eric will need to pull up all the toughness he has inside to make it through. We are sure that he can do it, and he just might even like it, because he likes to be pushed and tested, and he does have that warrior inside of him. But there is also in him that little boy who cried when he was yelled at, and wants to make everyone happy. That part of himself will have to be buried deep inside for the next 9 weeks.
The reason I decided to write this, is that many of us never put a face on ‘our troops’……..even when we pray for them...... and perhaps my telling you about Eric can help you see one of those faces. Eric is not overseas……yet........ though he is seriously considering a military career, and may well end up there. He is not in combat, but many young men like him are……many young men and women are serving this great country all over the world and are in harm’s way, and in need of our support and prayers. Each one of them has a story that his or her mother or father could tell about what wonderful people they are, as I have done about Eric.
And many young men and women who last summer as teenagers, worked at blueberry farms or grocery stores, factories or fast food restaurants, are now beginning training to serve their country in this very dangerous new world…… as adults, preparing to fight the first war of the new millennium, in a very different kind of summer.
Please pray for them……..and those who love them.
God, please bless each of our troops and the families who have kissed them good-by. Bless those who sacrifice so that our nation can be defended. Thank You for each one and may You hide them in the shadow of Your wings until these calamities pass. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Now that you mention it, there is a similarity.........sort of a Compassionate Tough Guy thing..........only 'Don't Mess with Ohio' just doesn't quite have the right ring to it! :o)
Eric's a lot like his Dad though, and there is definitely a similarity with the President there.
Thank you for your wonderful words of comfort, and for your prayers!
And I would like to thank you for your service to this amazing and wonderful country, and for all you do here at FR for our troops.
Bless you all!
When I thanked Eric and told him he was brave, he said "Well, lots of other people are doing this too." So I said, "Then they're brave too, aren't they?" and he just laughed.
Oh, Ohio, you got me so fahklempt!!And as for your detractors, how many of them have made the sacrifice you and your family has made? How many of them have willingly given their sons and daughters to the defense of this great nation? Maybe they ought to think of THAT before they start questioning YOUR desire for freedom and liberty.
You know all us 'Bush-bots' on the Dose and the Ladies and Gents of the Guild are praying for your family and for Eric!!
btw, I took some German, but......fahklempt?? Do you mind translating? :o)
Hard......yes, hard. They go from those sweet little boys to strong young men so quickly.
Eric hugged me for a very long time last night, knowing at least a little bit how very hard it was going to be for me to let him go.
Treasure every moment, every tear, every hug with Alex. They are gone too soon. And maybe, because of the strength and commitment of our Commander in Chief, and the dedication of our men and women in the military, the world will be a better place when your Alex grows up.
I feel much the same way about my son-in-law who is in the Air Force. He seems so sensitive and fragile to me, but he has proven himself more than worthy to be a member of this branch of the armed services. We are all very proud of him as you are of Eric, but concerned for his well-being as only parents and in-laws can be.
God bless you, Eric and your family. May God keep him safe and may you be blessed with strength while Eric serves his country.
The feelings that I expressed about my son are multiplied by the thousands by others who share the same combination of pride and loss for their loved one who is serving this great country. Thanks for telling me your story.
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