Farewell my friend...

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I have spoken many times about the emotions of a soldier. Trying to always keep the upper hand, I write about the good, the exciting and the normal. But it is the unexpected that can grab your heart and turn your world inside out and rock you on your heels. My friend left Kosovo today and has returned to his family.

No matter how hard a soldier tries to remain strong there is always something that can put a chink in our armor. Sadly, while on deployment we cannot prevent the unexpected. Our lives go on without us back home, right up until the point we receive catastrophic news. It is at that moment in time that we are rendered helpless. No amount of strength can stop the vulnerability a heart feels. We can stop the tears but we cannot stop the pain.

My friend who has been with me every step of the way on this road to Kosovo, who left with me in July and has not only been a part of the infamous Torch Party, but has been in my life for years. As a soldier… As a friend… As a partner who has walked side by side with me in some of the most trying and difficult times our lives. We have shared the harrowing aftermath of war and the loss of soldiers, shared the laughs as we drove through Munich lost as can be, been attached at the hip as buddies day in and day out, and shared the challenges of leadership as we have served together trying to set the example for soldiers around us.

It all happens so very fast. The Red Cross message… The shock… The denial… and then the departure. I tried so desperately to take away his pain. To wipe away his tears. To dissuade the inevitable. To be there. It is so difficult to know what to do, and in the end… no words could take away the throbbing pain he was feeling.

If he could have been there for the most hallowed moments. The logistics team stood in front of the flag pole in silence. Two soldiers raised the flag slowly and deliberately as all the soldiers saluted in respect to old glory. Our minds temporarily lost in deep thoughts, tears falling freely and hearts pounding heavily as the flag reached the summit of its journey, and then slowly began its decent downward towards the base. The seconds ticked slowly, and for most, time felt like an eternity as the emotions were impossible to deflect. We flew the most sacred of all symbols to an American Soldier. We raised and lowered the flag over Kosovo and will present it to our friend and his family. It flew on a crisp and quiet night. The flag waved briefly at the top with a gentleness that we will always have etched in our memories. It flew for the son of a soldier. It flew for the soldier. It flew for us all. We must remember, Families serve too. They are the stability in our lives and are the silent warriors on the homefront, .

We have all sacrificed much to serve. Some sadly will experience the pain first hand of that sacrifice. We must always remember what is important and never forget why we do the unthinkable. Families are at the core of our beings, and we must take those few moments to tell them how much they are loved and that regardless of all the adventures, we miss them dearly. I will miss my friend with all my heart and we all send our thoughts and prayers across the miles. The strength of a soldier is reflected through their hearts.



Somewhere Down the Road... by Amy Grant

So much pain and no good reason why
You’ve cried until the tears run dry
And nothing else can make you understand
The one thing that you held so dear
Is slipping from your hand
And you say

Why, why, why
Does it go this way
Why, why, why
And all I can say
Somewhere down the road
There’ll be answers to the questions

Yesterday I thought I’d seen it all
I thought I’d climbed the highest wall
Now I see the learning never ends
And all I know to do is keep on walking
Walking ’round the bend singing
Why, why, why
Does it go this way

somewhere down the road
There’ll be answers to the questions
Somewhere down the road
Tho’ we cannot see it now
And somewhere down the road
You will find mighty arms reaching for you
And they will hold the answers at the end of the road

Keep on walking Joe…

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