Arizona Carolyn,
I relate to this story so well. I remember for some reason seeing him mentioned at the Marine Corps.'s OIF site section back in late April of this year. As I read through your thread, I think of the few scouts that where in my nephews's scout troop. They fit the same profile. Truly wonderful young men with very bright futures. I think of the ones from this troop that eventually joined the Marine Corps. my nephew being one of them. So young, so alive, so full of dreams to do good things, honorable things, most often within the guidelines our Lord sets forth for all to follow.
In the last years changes in human events, I thank God for allowing one of them to not be accepted by the Marines due to a last minute discrepancy in his health record. At the same time I am quite proud of my nephew who enlisted in the Marines and has completed on tour of duty at the "triangle of death", and has returned for a brief visit home and will going back to Iraq in about three months with a new unit.
What I read hear truly hits home. It seems to be over and over the story of honest hard working most often God believing men and some women that truly believe freedom is not won by idle and meaningless political manuevors, but by resolve, committment in a cause, and the willingness to serve a nation that still can in many respects say it is one nation under God indivisible with liberty for all.
We all so be so proud and in gratitude both for the older leaders that guide these young warriors and to those warriors of all ages that are willing to put their lives in harms way for our country, and for what principals it stands for. America is to blessed in so many ways. We have been spared so much misery due to the many attributes God provided us with. So many people just don't seem to get the point, that regardless of how evil must be dealt with there are always those that are willing to serve in harms way to protect our way of living. It is my earnest hope that as our population see more and more how honorable our men and women serve this great nation and bastion of freedom, that they will throw aside their political dogma and prejudices
and simply pay honor to those that are willing to serve in harms way. This is one of my personal prayers.
His story -- and others like it -- are what we should be reading on the front pages of our nations papers.