Friday, September 19, 2003
Friday, September 19, 2003 |
| Another
story from a local military family
By DAVID EPPS A few weeks ago, I proudly wrote about a young man in our church, Kyle Bond, who had successfully graduated from Marine Corps recruit training at Parris Island, S.C. Four years earlier, again bursting with pride, I wrote about my son, James, who enlisted in the U. S. Air Force. But there are other young men and women who are great sources of pride to the friends and families. Kathryn of Fayetteville writes:
Dear Father Epps, Your article touched my heart with renewed pride in my own son's story. I too was a stunned parent who proudly sat on a parade ground at Ft. Benning, Georgia to watch my son graduate in 2002.He went on to airborne school and is now stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C., in Special Forces (Green Beret) qualifying and training.He has about 6 more months to go before he will be finished. Our son, Shawn, was 25 years old when the devastation of Sept. 11 hit our country.He owned his own house in Peachtree City as well as his own business which he had recently started.He had gone to college, and was mapping out a life for himself and a future. I will never forget the day he came to visit us and sat in our kitchen telling us that he has decided to join the Army.For the first time in my life I was totally speechless. He was grown and living on his own so all we could do was ask, "Why?"He told us that he felt it was his duty to his country and his responsibility as an American.What could we say?We were so proud, stunned, a whole heart full of emotions. Shawn had a few projects to finish out, but on June 5, 2002, we said our good-bys.It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life.Shawn had always been close by and close to his family emotionally; I was not sure how I would survive the weeks ahead with no phone calls and only letters to sustain us.I soon discovered that a letter from a young man in the service was a cherished possession.I have kept them all.I think the real reality and emotions of life have a way of coming out in this type of situation, or at least they did for us. The day our invitation came for his graduation and the prospect of going to see Shawn again was wonderful.I counted not only the days but the minutes till I could lay eyes on my boy again.Only to my surprise the boy was gone. Tall and proud before me was a man.As he marched with the rest of the young men onto that parade ground my heart nearly burst with the pride of a parent and an American.The lump in my throat was more than I could swallow, and the tears flowed down my cheeks.I have never experienced an emotion such as this in my life. You have to be a parent to truly understand this, I would think.I still can not find the words to truly express my feeling of that proud day. Shawn has about 6 more months of training left before he will be assigned a team and an area of the world to protect.I feel sure with the training he is following it will most likely be the Middle East and I am trying each and every day to prepare myself for that devastating good-by.I keep him daily in my prayers and light candles for him and all who serve our great country. There was a time I didn't give the military much thought, except during times of war.Ashamed to say, I was like many Americans today.However, now it has become a part of my family and my daily thoughts.I will never take any military person for granted again.I listen to the news and when it is not good I try to remember to say a prayer for that young person and their family, because one day it could be mine.I don't want my son's sacrifice forgotten and I won't forget someone else's child either. God bless you for your article and for bringing a few moments reminder to the readers that each soldier in the military consists of some mother's child. Sincerely, Kathryn
Thank you, Kathryn, for sharing your story. And thank you Shawn for the sacrifices you are making in the aftermath of Sept. 11. May God bless and protect you. [David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which meets at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City and Newnan. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.CTKCEC.org.]
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