Memorial Day

17 years ago I met an amazing man and married him 5 years later. My husband had a son from his previous marriage. A wonderful young man named Andrew. When Andrew graduated high school he didn’t go off to college like the rest of his friends. Instead he joined the Marines. Now when Andrew told his Mom and Dad that he wanted to join the Marines they were shocked. Andrew was a quiet, well behaved and respected young man. He got good grades and would have been accepted at any College or University in the country, and he would have gotten lots of scholarships to help pay for school. But that wasn’t the direction he wanted to go. He wanted more of a challenge. More of a sense of belonging and adventure. He wanted to be a Marine. Naturally his Parents supported him and at the end of the summer Andrew entered boot-camp.

Flash forward… he graduates boot-camp and is stationed at 29 Palms Marine base. Then the summer of 2005 word comes that his unit, the 3/7, will be heading to Iraq. My husband carried his phone everywhere because you never knew when Andrew would get a chance to call and you didn’t want to miss the little window to hear his voice. That September in Montana was unusually warm and during the first month he was gone my husband received an email and a couple of phone calls from Andrew. After he had been gone about 30 days he got another call. This call was from his ex-wife telling him not to leave work, there were men coming to see him and then she hung up. 30 minutes later 3 Marines in full dress uniform informed my husband that his only child had been Killed in the Line of Duty. He was 19. Our lives changed forever that day and Memorial Day became something different for us.

Enjoy your long Holiday weekend. It is after all the kick off to Summer and a time to let loose after a long and cold Winter. But remember to take some time and honor those who have given their lives for your freedom and for your safety. Take a minute and place some flowers at the grave of a Fallen Solider. Or offer comfort to a Gold Star Parent. Join in a Memorial Day event. Say a prayer for the Fallen. Most of all be safe, be grateful and remember. I know we will. ♥