Honor

I just read this humbling and beautifully-told story in The New York Times Modern Love series about a father's pride and awe of his soldier son. This twenty year-old boy has more strength, morals, and calmness of character than any other person I've encountered of a similar age or even a bit older. He has passed on the material glitz and chaos of college life to serve his country. He keeps things simple and good. I have nothing for respect for this guy - the son of the writer whom I have never met. It breaks my heart that good people like this man are killed every day, innocently, especially in the case of yesterday's massacre at Fort Hood.

I truly have so much admiration for our armed forces, two of my closest cousins (more like my brothers) are in the Marines and the Army, respectively. However, I do wish that there was no such thing as a gun. So many lives could be saved if we, at the very least, had more restricted arms access and use in this country. There has been so much violence in the past twenty-four hours and it fills me with so much sorrow.

Image found here.