I am more than a little surprised to be adjusting to the roll of "Marine Mom..." Honestly I never once considered that I would EVER be one... the Navy was once something Son1 considered, as a way after his mission to get schooling covered... even the possibly of Military Reserve stints of some kind was something hubby and I saw as a possibility for any of our sons, or "adopted sons" at some time in their lives... so I do not object to military service... In fact I have great respect for all the wonderful men and women who serve in our armed forces... I know that many service men and women complete difficult and arduous jobs daily to keep our country safe... I have had many friends in the past, and have a few currently, who are serving in one branch of the military or another... but the Marines are a whole level of intensity that I never considered for my sons, even once... especially when Son2's personality is the focus of consideration...
Son2 has always been my "pacifist" child... he has always made fun of those that were "joiners" (of practically anything, when he was in HS)... and he is my artist... has the heart of a creator, not what I would ever have seen as a warrior, but I guess I missed a part of him that has been there, all along, just less visible. He has a burning desire to serve his country and he wants to do it right now, so that is what he is doing.
He passed his physical last week after his medical records were very carefully reviewed... since he is a lightning survivor... there was a need to obtain pre-approval, to even send him down for a physical from the recruiters office... and no one he talked to had ever met a survivor before... so he got a chance to recount the story more times than he wanted, I'm sure... But he is in good physical shape and has no trouble already passing the boot requirements, (pull-up, sit-up, and running minimums...) and he is training to become even stronger before entering...
He is waiting currently on the process, to find out what his ship date will be, and which of his education/training choices will be his future... so there are still many questions... but he is in, and working on what he can do to get ready for the very strenuous physical life of a Marine.
A year ago his goal was submitting his mission paperwork at this juncture in his life... and I would be a liar if I did not admit that this change in his plans over the last weeks has taken me some time to adjust to... Still, we love him and pray for his happiness and success as any parent does their child, even when they don't completely understand their choices... We also hope and encourage him that as he moves forward he will remember his faith and commitment to following the Commandments of God at all times. That he will be a good example to those he serves with and perhaps in that way be a missionary to his future friends in the military.
I take comfort that not every person's life follows the same path, and I certainly know that mine did not fit many of the "molds" I imagined I would fill when I was younger... I am learning to allow my children to find their own paths... it's a hard task... this letting go of adult children... I don't suppose parents ever really get used to it... even if you have a dozen kids...
Tuesday, January 27
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2 comments:
You go Marine Mom!!! Sometimes the arts and military go hand in hand. My grandfather was a combat photographer during WWII. His father used to be photographer in Yosemite back in the days when you had to take a horse to get into the valley. Grandpa left college and joined the Marines. His unit won an academy award for a film they did. I have an old photography magazine with a picture of him and his fellow photogs in it. His photos were featured in Life Magazine even though he didn't recieve credit because he was a Marine. One famous picture he took was of a Japanese POW in bed reading a book on Franklin Roosevelt. After the war he continued photography as a hobby and even had his own dark room purposely built. He was a master photographer and passed his skills to my father and then on to me. We never made a career out of it but that art form is still a favorite of many in our family. Perhaps the time in the military will allow him to focus more on his art. Many great artists, writers, and musicians have come from the ranks of the armed forces.
I've been the recipient of a massive surprise handed to me by a son on a few occasions myself. So strange to find out you don't know this precious person as well as you thought! My best to all of you.
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