I have had the opportunity to watch my sons grow from boys to men. They have really made me proud of them as they make responsible decisions. Although it is a tough thing to see my sons choose to join the military and offer their lives in the defense of our great country. The thought of them facing the enemy in the throws of war is disconcerting. However, the defense of our country is as necessary as a part of our countries freedoms. I pray for their safety and the safe return of all of our soldiers. To those who have lost soldiers, I pray for you to be comforted and to be blessed for your sacrifice.
I wonder at times what made my sons choose service in the military, but with the influence of the video games depicting war, my appreciation of a good war movie, and the fact that I myself don a uniform on a daily basis to serve the public as a law enforcement officer, it is only my guess that they made their choice to join because of my love of our country and the fact that we as parents instilled a little patriotism in their hearts. I can only hope that I lived my life as a positive influence as an example in service.
I believe it would be every fathers wish to be there to protect their sons from harm. Unfortunately life doesn’t allow us to live our childrens life for them. I just hope they have the ability to see danger and to handle it the way they were trained.
My sons have made me grateful and proud that they have chosen to serve our country, I know that they will serve with honor. I hope that their choices in life will lead them to much success.
I called this From Boys to Men because it seems like it happened in a blink of an eye. One day my house was full of boys. There was rarely a quiet moment and the next it was empty. Sometimes the quiet is painful. This past year the changes to our family happened as fast as a whirlwind. Or in Devon’s case , a fast moving tornado.
It started with Chris taking a leap of faith last summer and moving to Utah to be close to Taryn. The next thing we knew he was engaged, eloped, enlisted in the Air Force and then off to Boot Camp. WOW!
Chris’s decision to join the Air Force came as no surprise to us. He has committed the next 8 years of his life to serving his country and he can continue his education while starting his new life with Taryn. When Chris makes a decision he has never been one to waste any time, he gets right to it. Lucky for him Taryn is adventurous. He is currently in Florida for training.
Devon’s career goal was to follow in his fathers footsteps. Then one day he gave Tom and I the biggest surprise of our life when he announced he was going to enlist in the Army. He feels strongly that every man should serve his country. He enlisted as an Army Reserve Military Police. He left just 2 weeks after enlisting. (Less than a month after his brother)
I think I went into shock. Not unlike what happens when a 7 pt earthquake directly hits your home. He is my baby. When I look at him, that’s what I was seeing. Not the man he has become. The years, for me, flew by. For him, they probably dragged on.
He has been gone for 5 months now in boot camp and Military Police training. He calls weekly to tell us about his experiences. He gets us laughing over some of his stories. He has never complained no matter how hard I know it gets. He always tells me, “It’s all good, Mom.” He is enjoying every moment of what he is doing. He’s happy. That’s all a mom could ever ask for.
Welcome to Military Lines. This is Melanie Lines, Blue Star Mom of two military sons, Airman Chris and Army MP Devon. Both my boys are currently in the process of completing all their training and for the time being are stationed stateside. Continued »
