Posted on 06/29/2005 5:52:22 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Because Cody Littleton can't join the military, he thought he'd write a poem to show appreciation to those serving in the armed forces.
"Ultimately, it's to pay my respect to those who have served, those who have died for us and those who are doing it now," said Littleton, 19.
"Since I can't do it, this is the next-best thing."
Littleton, who has a kidney condition, was rejected from the Marine Corps last year during his senior year at McNary High School.
Littleton recently completed his freshman year at Southern Oregon University and has come to terms with his inability to serve, but he still wanted to show his gratitude.
A poetry contest on poetry.com with a grand prize of $50,000 sparked his interest this past May.
"I was like, 'why not?'" he said.
Littleton has written poetry for himself over the years, but had never entered a contest.
"This is definitely the most personal one that I've written," he said.
He didn't win the grand prize, but he refocused his efforts toward publishing his poem and distributing it to as many military personnel as he could.
His mother, Nancy, works at the Capitol in Information Systems and is helping him with his campaign.
She has asked legislators for ideas, called the Oregon National Guard for assistance and hopes to get the poem into Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper.
Littleton's medical journey began at age 10, when he was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a condition in which excessive protein and blood are spilled into the urine because of a poor filtering system.
His case was severe, his doctor told his mother.
And, over the years, as the kidneys weakened, he might need a kidney transplant.
His miracle drug has been fish oil. It has improved his condition, and his kidneys function perfectly now.
"He was in the top 10 percent of severity," his mother said. "Now he's in the top 10 percent of recovery."
Looking at Littleton now, a spry teenager, it is hard to tell he ever was sick.
His doctors, however, don't want to take the chance of discontinuing his medication.
It's his daily dose that has kept him out of the military.
"You can't be on any medications," said Staff Sgt. Johnnie Cornejo with the U.S. Marine Corps recruitment office on Lancaster Drive.
"If it's Motrin or Aspirin or an over-the-counter medication, then it's a possibility. But if it's for an illness, they'll be permanently disqualified," Cornejo said.
So in the meantime, Littleton hopes to honor those in the military by distributing his poetry.
"The ultimate way to show respect would be to join the military myself. However, I can't," Littleton said.
"But believe me, I wish I could."
But there are still other ways to get involved in the military such as administrative position, engineering, etc.
They said, "your on medication it's a no go." or "If you had a siezure you would do more harm than good" stuff like that. I was like, I'm allowed to drive, im sure I could do computers or something. they didn't go for it.
That's weird. Our military is high-tech now. I mean they should allow you to play with predators or other drones they have.
I really wanted to be a mechanic, wouldn't let me.
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