So many feelings today.
I'm proud of Sebastian for pushing through in order to graduate with his original battalion after being hospitalized with pneumonia for nearly a week. They wanted to hold him back, and he wouldn't let them. He's proven to himself and others that he can do hard things.
Sebastian with his dad, my husband, Tony, a Desert Shield/Desert Storm Marine Corps vet.
I'm also scared, not going to lie, because the world is chaotic and warring, and his wearing this uniform means he's closer to that chaos and those wars.
My dad is a Vietnam vet (USAF 1967-1975) who was eighteen when he left home for an unfamiliar world. It changed him forever. He has a small piece of metal in his back that I remember attempting to dig out once as a kid. The whole area is numb, so he couldn't feel it, and--of course--I couldn't extract it. But he handed me sharp tweezers and told me to try because I wanted to help. Morbid story, I know.
So, yeah, proud and scared.
I could feel those same emotions radiating from parents, grandparents, and spouses as hundreds of people found their soldiers on the field during this morning's Family Day event. Tomorrow, there won't be a dry eye on the stands as those soldiers officially graduate.
And the biggest emotion of all was apparent in the stands today: love.
There are a million reasons why people join the armed forces: responsibility, patriotism, purpose... For many, it's a way to something better, a way out of a tough childhood, a way to make a life for their family.
Sebastian enlisted to play in our local national guard band because he's a talented and dedicated percussionist. I can only hope that music keeps him safe.