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He is my son, he is in the Army, and I am proud

I am well-read when it comes to current events — so I thought. I know a lot of details about government that are relevant to my every day existence — so I thought. What I know now, since my son is in the Army, made me see the truth on much different terms. My son Anthony protects his family and ensures the freedoms that I enjoy daily. He does this by taking orders from his superiors and risking his life every day. This is not on the front pages of the papers I have read. What my son and those like him do is treated like a secret that no one wants to tell.

My son is a trained machine. He is pushed to his limits every day. I am unsure why or how he ended up on this path, but he is there and I am thankful. He fires his weapon in defense of his comrades, his family and his country. The enemy tries to kill him and those who serve beside him. He is willing to die every day to protect his buddies to the right and to the left. He lives in a world with no jokes, with no do overs, with no forgiveness. He does this so his family can afford to take all these items for granted.

My son was in the dining room with the recruiter when he went through the testing portion of Army recruitment. We waited with baited breath in the kitchen. We pretended to not pay attention. Parents understand that this is a time that they cannot be a part of. This must be the decision of your child because if you try to interfere, you will mess it up. The recruiter told our son he could choose from a long list of directions in the Army, but our son only had one direction, the infantry. For reasons I cannot explain, he wanted to take the path of most resistance. Not only did we welcome that, we jumped for joy. My wife and I were proud that our son was committing himself to a journey that we now know to be daunting and awesome all at the same time.

Our son is now in the best shape of his life. He is serving his country by following orders in another country. We speak with him often because the new world allows for us to Face-time him daily. This is the same guy who went to a private grade school and a private high school. He did not do his best in school. He was not sure of his direction at the time. As his father, I never forgot to remind him of his lack of effort on a daily basis.

As my wife and I sat in the bleachers waiting for our son to march in front of us where he would be recognized for completing rigorous training over his first weeks of his commitment, I remember thinking, “Where has the time gone?” He is a man, and he is marching toward me, and he is strong. He is smart, and I am so proud of what he has done and the direction he has taken. What is next? Will he prevail? Will he continue to get stronger and more confident in his path?

I remember when I got my first job while attending college. I believed that no human had ever worked as hard as I had worked, only to find out that such is life. One weekend I came home and started to appreciate my parents for who they were, what they stood for, and how incredibly helpful they had been in shaping my life up to that point. My father, who was the greatest, told me he had a hard time understanding why all his coworkers had children who were, without question, the most successful children in the land. He told me that all he had to do was just ask about their children, and they would gladly boast about the endless accomplishments they had the fortune of experiencing. He, of course, was letting me know that you make your own path and his bragging about me does not make it so. That brings me to my next important point.

When people ask me, “How is your son and what is he doing?” and I reply, “My son is in the Army,” I must be honest; I get a reaction that I, at one time, may have given. I get a look of disappointment as though I just delivered bad news.

I understand more about the Armed Forces now than at any time in my life. My son’s job is to protect his family and his country. I am not bragging or exaggerating. That is what he does. That is what he signed up to do. I have my freedoms because of him and those like him. I am proud of my son. The next time you ask me what my son is doing, and I tell you he is in the Army, you better take notice that he is fighting a battle for your freedom as well as mine. He and his comrades are making the ultimate sacrifice. Don’t be sad, be grateful. Know that he is paying a debt that I did not have the courage or proper direction to pay. Yes, my father paid it, and most of the generation before me paid it, but I did not. I can assume that if you are sad about my son’s commitment then you too did not pay that same debt. I will not judge you or anyone for not following the path my son has followed, but I will take offense if you judge him. He is my son, he is in the Army, and I am proud.

(Bernabei, of Weirton, is CEO and co-owner of Tri-State Medical Group)

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