Lessons from my Father It was a day that held more emotion than all of the 19 years before it. The day spent with my son made me so proud, then a short while later, the trip home was very hard to bear. Our youngest son Tim had joined the Army shortly after his 19th birthday, and he had asked if I would take him down to the recruiting station to drop him off, saying, I could watch him being sworn in if I wanted. I told him, “I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.” The trip down to the recruiters was over before we knew it. Time had passed through our hands quickly as I tried to tell him every important thing (at least to me) I could think of. After we got to our destination and Tim was checked in and we learned the meaning of the phrase, “hurry up and wait” We were told, it will be a while before the ceremony would begin. Tim and I decided to wait in the main auditorium. The room had 30 to 40 men and women; most were close to the same age as Tim and most, like us, were waiting. A young lady sat down by Tim and struck up a conversation, asking where he was from and where he was going. Tim answered her questions, then introduced her to me. She replied stating, she wished her mom had come, telling how they gotten into a big fight before she left home, it was all about her joining the Army. Her voice sounded very dry and rough and I knew they hadn’t parted on the best of terms. She needed someone to be proud of her, I wish I would have told her, but it was not the right place. The delay passed and before we knew it, the new recruits were taken into a small room for their swearing in. There were not as many parents there as I expected, but I was proud to join the group as an observer. The commander explained the swearing in, and the oath they were about to take, asking the soldiers if they were there of their own free will. All answering, “Yes Sir!” He then asked the group to hold up their right hand and follow him, repeating the vow to serve our country. As I looked at each soldier, every one of them meant every word, every word! The service took my breath away and they all knew what they had just committed to do. I kept saying to myself, “Dear Lord, give them strength!” After the group was released, many like Tim and I took the time to take a few photos. It was those photos that would help carry us for the next eight weeks, till we would be able to see him again, at Fort Knox, KY, for his graduation from boot camp. The ride home was one of the longest of my life, being all alone with my memories was the hardest parts of this day, and one of the toughest moments of my life. I felt like I had just given my son away. Question after question filled my mind. “Had we taught him all he needed to know? Did he listen? What is he going to be like when he is all done? Did he know how much his mom and I loved him?” This was my little boy! We watched him grow up, now suddenly, he wasn’t mine anymore. Yes, he was still part of our family, but we no longer helped control his decisions. He was still our youngest son, but no longer our little boy. Today he was quickly becoming a man. It wasn’t until Tim arrived in Iraq, six month later, I would get the answer to several of the questions that filled my mind on the long road home from the recruiters. The answers came through an email Tim had sent me at work. The email read, Hey Dad, I got a special coin today from our Lt Colonel for fixing a generator while we were on a 3-day mission. We had Mechanics who couldnt even fix it, so I stepped up and said I would try. I found the bad wiring under the control panel and fixed it. It started right up! They asked how I knew how to do that and I told them my dad was a mechanic. My sergeant said, well I guess he taught you well. So I just wanted to say, “thank-you” for always making me stand out there and help whenever something broke, even though I really didn’t want to. I guess they really needed that generator so we could continue on our mission; so fixing it was a big deal. That is why they gave me the coin. This is also a big deal because Im only the third one in my company to get one of these coins. Well I just wanted to tell you that I miss you and I hope things are going good.” Love Tim I sat at my desk thinking about the many lessons my father had taught me, and remembering how he was never afraid to try to fix anything. Today the lessons from my father worked through the hands of my son, a half a world away and I have never been more proud. Thank you Dad! Today your grandson made us proud! William Garvey Published in Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 19:15:22 +0000