Honor, Courage, Commitment

It was brought to my attention that I have not written a blog in quite some time. After checking, this is very accurate for my last published blog post was nearly 2 years ago! This past year has been a rough one and from what my muddled memory can recall, the one before was not particularly easy either. I can go into the trials of this last year later, but I think this post needs to focus on another subject.

Today is Veterans Day. I am sure that this day holds varied significance for families all around the country. Honestly, it is not one that has been prominent for my family because there has not been a strong military presence in our lives. I have always acknowledged friends, acquaintances and even strangers in uniform passing by for their service, but it never really hit home for me. Until recently, I have regrettably put little thought into Veterans Day.

On September 9th of this year, our oldest son raised his right hand and swore into the United States Navy. I am not going to lie, I stood back and watched this happen through the tears in my eyes, with a smile on my face and with so much pride in my heart that I thought it would burst. Naturally, my anxiety was also present because I was trembling like a leaf! A part of me felt like we were giving away our firstborn to a government that, at times, I don't always agree with and sometimes distrust. It was in that moment that I realized that it is not just the soldiers and sailors that make sacrifices, but their families do as well.

As a parent, you naturally want your children to succeed in life and do great things that go beyond anything that you have done yourself. With great pride, I feel as though both of our sons are doing to just that. My husband and I have never forced our sons down a particular path in life. We have done our best to guide them in the direction that best suits them with their individual strengths and talents. Our oldest son mentioned that he had an interest in joining the military back before he graduated high school and it was news that I wasn't quite prepared to hear. My "mama bear" instincts kicked in and I thought of every terrible thing that could happen to my cub if he joined. Thankfully, I was so caught off-guard that I couldn't find words to audibly speak at that moment. Once I was able to sort through my millions of thoughts and really think about this revelation, it really made sense. I don't believe that everyone is destined to attend college and our oldest son is one of those people. This path had come into view for a reason. He was approaching that fork in the road that we all face before we graduate high school and he needed to make a decision.

Those months leading up to graduation, our son was strongly leaning towards joining the Army and trying out for the Army band. We spoke with an Army recruiter and did research, but the whole process never seemed to get off the ground. It just didn't seem like it was the right fit for our son. After he had graduated, we as a family decided to do more research and look into some other branches of the military. We spoke with a gentleman at the National Guard and that went well, however, it still didn't feel right. That is when we decided to get together with the father of our son's best friend and have a discussion with him. He served in the military and we felt that he was a person we could trust that would give us some helpful insight.

Not long after that, we were at the Navy Career Center meeting up with a recruiter. Questions were asked, practice ASVAB was taken and follow-ups were planned. It was happening and it felt right. Our son was destined to be a sailor with the United States Navy.

All of that being said, I never thought we would one day be preparing to send one of our sons off to the military. So many times throughout this process I have found myself replaying moments of our kids growing up in my head. Watching them become men and convincing myself to let go has been a struggle for me. My family has been and always will be my greatest passion and achievement.

My husband and I have already fully embraced the 'Navy Parents' title even though our son doesn't leave for basic training until April. We have joined online groups for Navy parents, followed many pages related to the Navy on Facebook and searched online for Navy apparel that we can wear to show our pride. We are doing all that we can to let him know that we are proud of this path that he has chosen. He has put a lot of thought into this and seems genuinely excited about where the Navy can take him in life.

Now, I feel as though I'm hyper-aware of all things military. During our local Fall Foliage Parade in October, I choked up as the military veterans passed by. I could envision our son being one of those veterans someday, being celebrated by his hometown. I also get a few more goosebumps when I hear the National Anthem. When I hear a news story that mentions the Navy or war, I'm reading as much as I can about it. 

I know that there is no way to fully prepare myself for what lies ahead of us as our son pursues a career in the Navy. In my eyes, that man will always be my baby. And no matter where he goes in this world, he will have a big piece of my heart with him at all times. If he is at sea, our hearts will be there with him. If he is stationed thousands of miles away, our hearts will be there too. We will light blue candles in his honor on those special days when he can't physically be there with us. No matter the distance, our future sailor will always have our love and support. Hooyah!