Repeat after me

Repeat after me:

"I am 17. I am young and dumb. He/She is also young and dumb. This isn't going to matter 5 years from now. It matters right now so it's okay to be hurt. But it won't matter 5 years from now so it's not okay to be a brat"

This one should be said loud and proud- Why I am proud of my Veteran

Why I Am Proud of My Veteran

I’m proud of my veteran because at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Utah National Guard with the belief that he and the Guard each had something to offer each other.  He has held onto that belief and made it a reality.      He was just 17 years old and a junior in high school. I’m 17 years old and a junior in high school, and I am here to tell you that many of the 17 year olds I go to school with are NOT currently ready to make life-long decisions that impact not only themselves but also others. My dad, at 5’7” and 111 lbs., was the exact opposite of who you’d think would be starting what has now been a 24 year long military career. But he did. At 17 he chose to invest a lot of his life in the National Guard, trusting that the National Guard would help make him a man and someone his future children could be proud of.  And it has.

            My dad was already a good kid. My grandparents taught him well. He was on the right track, but National Guard helped him to become the man he is today. He is a leader, a teacher, and a protector. His service has blessed not only his life and my life, it has blessed my entire family. But it doesn’t stop there. His service, along with the service of many other veterans, has blessed the lives of people in our community, city, state, country and the world. We do not do enough to honor the lives of these heroes.

            At the end of the day, my dad is still just a dad. He does all the normal dad jobs. He kills all the spiders and cleans the garage. He helps my sister with her homework and taught me to drive a stick shift. He helps my brothers with Boy Scouts and takes care of my momma’s Honey-Do’s.  He intimidates all the boys when they come to pick me up for dates, just like a good dad should. The difference though, is that he answers the door in uniform just to scare the boys so he and I can laugh about it later. He’s just a normal dad. Honestly though, that makes me even more proud of him.

            Not every private can hope to become an officer, and not every officer can hope to become a highly decorated 5-Star General. But all privates can hope to become something great.  All can hope to become a momma or a daddy or a role-model.  They can each hope to become the kind of person that teaches others to be hard working, good and honest people. They can each hope to become the kind of veteran and person that people are proud of. They can each hope to become a person like my dad.