“I Got It”

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”