Semper Fi

As a little boy Dustin liked tractors. He loved his grandpa's farm and all those cool farm "man-toys" that he could climb in-out-and-on, which he still enjoys doing. I had painted his room green, not because of John Deere, but to do something different from the standard "boy-blue" color.

My brother painted this on Dustin's wall. We framed it with some moulding.

I think the green walls somehow began to represent military fatigue green. Dustin's interest has turned towards the military. It might have started in 2005 when we had the opportunity to ride in our friend Turman's 6th Cav. WWII jeep in the local parade. Or maybe when he got to hold that huge bazooka, or when he learned about George Washington and the battles he led, or when he dug 4 little green Army men out of the Larsen's sand pit and held on to those men like they were worth a million dollars. Or it could just be one of those stages boys go through.

Honestly though, ever since I can remember, if Dustin saw a soldier in any type of uniform he would stop and take notice. So it is we've entered the "little green Army men" stage. For more than a year Dustin was focused on becoming an Air Force pilot. That's changed slightly as he would really like to fly the AH-64 Apache helicopter (because the helmet controls the gun.. quite fascinating really), especially now that he realizes that all the branches of the service have pilots.

2005 our family in the WWII jeep.

Back when I was a kid the Air Force provided posters that you could wrap your text books with showing the old "Aim High" Air Force motto. I thought it would be fun to get one of those to hang in Dustin's room. I searched the internet and couldn't find ONE SINGLE military poster. I did find a fighter jet calendar. $12.00 bucks. Not bad. Framed those, hung them up. Dustin was thrilled. I was feeling frugal. One autographed B1 bomber picture from author Chris Stewart. Still feeling frugal, but frustrated that I couldn't find any posters. Then an idea struck me..... "I wonder if the recruiter's have any?" One phone call and visits to the Marine, Navy, Army, and Air Force recruiter's later I'm loaded with posters galore. Each recruiter I visited told me not to worry, they have mom's coming in there all the time asking for stuff. (and I thought I had an original idea!) Dustin is now overjoyed with his military wall decor. Now lest you think that the recruiters were stingy, think again. I came home with a lot more than posters. Our last stop was the Army. Instead of just giving us a poster, they brought us back to the storage room and loaded us up with 2 grocery sized Army bags full of: pens, pencils, flashlights, umbrellas, cards, iPod holders, cups, backpacks, mouse pads, lanyards... you name it they gave it to us. They said they were out of the Army camp chairs otherwise they would have given us a few of those. It ended up being comical. When Celeste was here it seemed that every corner you turned in our house you would run into some sort of Army paraphernalia. The short of the long story, I'm still feeling pretty frugal. $12.00 calendar, few dollar frames and a bunch of free posters. Can't beat that price.

Fighter jets. The picture in the middle has an explanation, I'll blog on that later.

From Aunt Melissa a few years ago.

Dustin's hat collection. Army, Marine (3), National Guard, Air Force, Navy

There are more posters in the closet. I won't post those. They are the "cool" ones, uh, you know the ones with the "guns"

Anyway, this has been a fun stage for several reasons. For one, I LOVE history. World, political, and military history. I grew up around the military (not in my family, just the town I lived in) and have always been interested in it. So at least it's something I can interact with my son on. We can enjoy the Military channel together, or reading books like "Super Sonic Saints." At the same time I recognize that for a little boy its most likely all about being "cool". I mean really, who can look at a serviceman or woman in uniform and not get that "cool patriotic teary eyed I love my country feeling." At least I do. But to a seven year old a soldier carrying a huge M16 rifle just looks pretty darn "cool."

With that said, I've decided that I would teach Dustin the depth of history. Since I love history, instilling it in my kids isn't such a bad idea. I want him to know that being a soldier isn't about looking cool and carrying a big gun. I want him to know that it has to do with responsibility and honor, in protecting our freedoms and helping others remain or become free. That's a huge responsibility and often carries with it a heavy cost of sacrifice. While many boys glorify the ugliness of war while playing violent video games killing without feeling, Dustin is learning the importance of our military, with purpose, with feeling. He's learning about our country, its history, and those who sacrificed so much for it and for us. He's learning that there are a ton of careers in the military. I'm ok if he's excited about all the tactical gear, weaponry, vehicles, and machines. I get it.. because I love those things too. I'm just absolutely fascinated with the detailed aspects of the military.

But what I want Dustin to understand is that the super cool looking soldier carrying a M16 rifle, is someones son, brother, father, husband, cousin, or NEPHEW.... and for us, that is real. (not to exclude service women, add them to the sentence)

Tonight we made our last call to our nephew Jonathon. He's Dustin's hero, always has been. Somehow ever since Dustin was born and figured out who Jonathon was he's been his hero. Jonathon is the cousin that Dustin loves the most, looks up to the most, respects the most and wants to be with the most. Regardless of being a bit older Jonathon is the one that all of the other cousins will chase and love to be tickled by. He never seems to tire of their constant harassment to gain his attention. I'm sure Jonathon has his grumpy days but I've NEVER seen him grumpy towards the cousins. He's one of those patient, gentle giants towards them a natural born leader, they all love it, and we all love him.

Jonathon has always taken the time to interact with Dustin. He made sure his mom gave Dustin one of his Marine hats from boot camp, even though it was hard for her to give that second one up. That meant a lot too Dustin, and it is one of Dustin's most prized possessions which he wears often. When we would receive a letter, he would mention Dustin. If Jonathon calls he will always talk to Daria and Dustin too.

You might be wondering what I meant by "our last call." I'll explain. This Sunday, the 13th, Jonathon will be on his way to Afghanistan. We're not sure for how long or when we will get to hear from him next. We are all anxious as he will be going to the "hot zone." Jonathon in his calm positive manner told me earlier this year "well, that's what we've been trained for, that's why we are here." We are praying for his protection and will honor his decision to serve by being a little bit better, recognizing our freedoms more frequently, and remembering those who carry the weight of this country and other countries on their backs. We love you Jonathon!

the ultimate tickle!

Jonathon & Dustin