Six years ago my mom called me all upset because my brother
had just informed her that he wanted to join the Military. She told me that I had to call him and talk
him out of it. We did not want him to
join because the thought be anything happening to him is too much to bear…
I am older and I think I can fight him and talk him out of
it... I called him and we talked for over an hour. I said things like, “this is not a video game;
there is no reset button.”
Another perk about
being in the Military is that they pay for your education. I told him don’t
worry about money. You can take out loans. Money is just paper, sometimes-electronic
paper, and sometimes-negative paper but all and all it means nothing…
Ben said to me, “I want to be apart of something greater
than myself. I want to make a difference and I know in the army I can do just
that!” I was quiet for a second letting those words sink in and I told him he
should join. He was doing this for the right reasons but what he doesn’t know
is that he is already great…
My brother Ben, the military policeman in the National Guard
who has severed Springfield during the tornados, been in New York during the
hurricanes, experienced the floods out on the cape, the power outages of New
England and was there for the horrific Boston Bombings.
Freedom does not come free… It comes at a price… A price of
a brother, son, uncle, boyfriend, grandson, friend…
It is 6 years later
from that phone call and now my brother is getting deployed. His unit will be going to Cuba to the prison,
Guantanamo bay. They had a deployment ceremony
for all the soldiers on this mission this past Saturday.
One of the officers spoke and said something that really hit
me. He looked over to all the families in the stands and said that when the
soldiers are deployed they are a family and when someone says, “I got it” you
can be 100% sure that they got it and you do not have to worry. They can have full faith and trust in the
person next to them. It is the one
place where you know that the person next to you “has it”
The hardest thing for a soldier when they return home is
when they hear family, friends, colleagues, etc. say, “I got it” but don’t have
it... Whether it is a small thing at work or a broken promise from a family
member or friend. The officer said when your son or daughter comes home and you
say to them “I got it” make sure you do because in the army it has another
meeting.
Of course this made me think of my family, my friends,
soccer, my life. “I got it” When I say
“I got this”, make a promise, say I am going to give it my all, say I will be
there for a friend, family member or teammate whether it be on or off the field,
I will be there!
I will not see Ben in over a year but, my family and I are
extremely proud of him and I know he will be back safe from an incredible
adventure. He has it!
I am writing this on the plane to Sweden right now. New adventures and new opportunities as a
player and a coach await me in just about 6 hours. I do not know what the future await but all I
know is that “I got it”
