The Vigilant, Active, and Brave

When I was on active duty in the Marine Corps, the colonel of our battalion hated the “Three Ms”…married, moustaches, and motorcycles. He was often heard to say, “If the Marine Corps wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one.” Needless to say, the colonel was not popular with the spouses in the battalion. I’m proud to say our son is a Marine but much to the chagrin of my long-retired colonel, our son is married and has two children. His oldest, Straton, will turn four this summer. Tough and strong-willed doesn’t begin to describe this bundle of energy and even with two parents in the home he can be a handful. As a grandparent I can watch from afar and laugh at those things which drive a sane parent to the brink.

When our son deployed to Afghanistan, Straton began to twirl his hair, twisting it in such a way that when he jerked his fingers, he pulled out clumps of hair. The practice subsided when our son returned from his combat deployment but returned as soon as our son left on various two month overseas assignments. Recently, they confronted Straton about his habit, telling him he was going to go bald if he kept doing it. He replied, “Papa does it. He has a bald spot.” He’s right about the bald spot but I was surprised he noticed I was folically-challenged. Our son is home now but preparing to leave again in a few weeks. Last week when our son went to pick Straton up from pre-school, the teacher pulled him aside. Three times during the day, Straton broke out crying. Our grandson had never cried before in school and when she asked what was wrong he said, “I miss my Daddy.” The teacher knew our son was home and when she reminded Straton, he replied, “But he’s going away again soon.”

April is the Month of the Military Child. We read in the papers and we hear on the news about battlefield deaths and injuries but we seldom read about the impact military service has on the families, especially the children. When you thank God tonight for those brave men and women who have answered the call when their nation asked, remember the families at home. Patrick Henry said, “The battle, sir, belongs not to the strong alone, but to the vigilant, the active, and the brave.” The spouses and children remain vigilant, active, and brave as the strong battle in foreign lands. Semper Fi!