Rendering Honors
Posted by hydrashok on November 10 2008 11:19:40
On October 31, 2008, I got to experience one of those moments that makes a proud father and patriot well up with tears. A couple of months ago, my two oldest boys ("Boogie", age 8 and "Bubba", age 6) joined the Cub Scouts. They started attending meetings and learning the stuff they teach to Cub Scouts... the motto, the pledge, and the two-finger salute.
I thought I was saying "good-bye" to my family until August of next year as I was getting ready to board an airplane on July 19. I'm a soldier in the Texas Army National Guard, and I just arrived in Kuwait yesterday (November 9) to prepare for our movement into Iraq. I've been training up since I left in July, and I didn't believe I would get a chance during our busy training schedule to see my family before we left. We had a 4-day pass at Ft. Stewart, GA, right before leaving for Kuwait. I couldn't afford the airline tickets, so a high school friend of mine, Amy, and her husband, Mark, bought them with sky miles Mark had racked up to fly Ladonna and the boys to see me.
We had a GREAT time during my pass, but that pass ended on the evening of October 31. Ladonna and the kids dropped me off at 1700, just as "Retreat" started to play. I paused during the "warning", and I couldn't believe what happened next! "Retreat" started playing over the base loud-speakers, and I rendered my salute. Boogie and Bubba got out of the car and rendered their two-finger Cub Scout hand salute. My chest puffed out real big, and I had to fight back the tears.
It was one of those "Kodak" moments that wasn't captured by a camera, but will forever be burned into my memory.
Extended News
On October 31, 2008, I got to experience one of those moments that makes a proud father and patriot well up with tears. A couple of months ago, my two oldest boys ("Boogie", age 8 and "Bubba", age 6) joined the Cub Scouts. They started attending meetings and learning the stuff they teach to Cub Scouts... the motto, the pledge, and the two-finger salute.
I thought I was saying "good-bye" to my family until August of next year as I was getting ready to board an airplane on July 19. I'm a soldier in the Texas Army National Guard, and I just arrived in Kuwait yesterday (November 9) to prepare for our movement into Iraq. I've been training up since I left in July, and I didn't believe I would get a chance during our busy training schedule to see my family before we left. We had a 4-day pass at Ft. Stewart, GA, right before leaving for Kuwait. I couldn't afford the airline tickets, so a high school friend of mine, Amy, and her husband, Mark, bought them with sky miles Mark had racked up to fly Ladonna and the boys to see me.
We had a GREAT time during my pass, but that pass ended on the evening of October 31. Ladonna and the kids dropped me off at 1700, just as "Retreat" started to play. I paused during the "warning", and I couldn't believe what happened next! "Retreat" started playing over the base loud-speakers, and I rendered my salute. Boogie and Bubba got out of the car and rendered their two-finger Cub Scout hand salute. My chest puffed out real big, and I had to fight back the tears.
It was one of those "Kodak" moments that wasn't captured by a camera, but will forever be burned into my memory.