My Big, Strong Marine
Nov 18 '00
My only child is eighteen years old and has been in the Marine Corps for six months now. I was so worried that my son would lose his caring and tender side due to the tough training in the Corps. My worries were totally unfounded.
While in bootcamp, our only contact was through letter writing. I wrote him every day, attempting to encourage him through this extremely rough thirteen weeks of training. He wrote as often as possible, always filling his letters with touching memories of his childhood and thoughtful expressions of love for me and his grandparents. The letters were wonderful and filled me with so much emotion and love.
I was worried that after bootcamp he would drift away from me as time passed and he gained more freedom at his duty station. Imagine my surprise to find that he still feels strongly tied to me, his grandparents and his hometown.
He is an eighteen year old, far away, with evenings and weekends free to do whatever he chooses with his new Marine friends. Although the letters have stopped, they were replaced with daily telephone calls. I have told him that he doesn't have to feel obligated to calls each day but he says that the phone calls are important to him. He says that he misses his home and although he has a very active life at Camp Lejeune, he thinks of his family all the time.
His telephone calls are always lengthy and filled with the events of that day. I wish I could record the calls because they are as sweet as the letters I had received from bootcamp. He says that his body belongs to the Corps but that his heart belongs to his family.
When he left for bootcamp, we made a deal that we would look up at the sky every night and think of each other. As long as we can both see the sky at night, we are close ... regardless of the miles between us. Despite his hard training and title of U S Marine, my son has maintained his love for family and tenderness. Telephone calls often end with "Mom, I will be looking up at the sky tonight". That is our special signal and I admit that I look up every night while thinking of his bright, shining face.
My son and I have always been close and always shared affectionate words freely. This affection has obviously affected my big, strong Marine and has allowed him to be a good and loving person in adulthood. There are often other Marines in his room when we talk on the telephone and I once asked him if they give him a hard time for calling his mom so often. He explained, "I really don't care what they think --- I need to talk to you and tell you what's going on in my life".
I am so glad that I built a strong foundation with my son. He has grown into a very loving and caring adult who feels free to show affection to his family and to others. I know that he will be a wonderful husband and father someday --- a father who will always shower his children with the same affection he has received. I only wish that every child could feel as loved and appreciated.
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Epinions.com ID:
b_lawhorn
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Member: Barbara Lawhorn
Location: Chillicothe, Ohio
Reviews written: 112
Trusted by: 46 members
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