Thursday, October 04, 2007

Mail Call

This morning made me choke all up. There were two cards from the Sgt. Major's daughters. Both were hand drawn with crayon.

One shows their father, dressed in his uniform on a horse, I'm portrayed as an indian, with feathers and warpaint on a horse, and the girls are each on a horse, as princesses.

The other shows us all around the pool with the BBQ going, and the horses and dogs at the table with us. In big block letters underneath it says "Our Happy Family."

They are mounted in the hallway, right next to a Chagall lithograph. He'd understand.

3B's

6 Comments:

Blogger Sherry Pasquarello said...

you are truly a blessed man.
and

you gave me my first real smile of the day.

10:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's so nice that you were able to give them such a special, happy memory... I also like the image of you as both a warrior AND a sentimental blubbering softie. Interesting combo!

1:05 PM  
Blogger The Minstrel Boy said...

(big military secret you better promise to never tell)

most warriors are totaly mushballs inside. i'm talking about the getting all misty eyed watching "leave it to beaver" episodes or choking up reading "old yeller" for the hundreth time. most of us are not fearless either. the thing we've found are those things that matter more than our fears. things like love. i've never met a fear that could overpower the love i had for the men who stood with me in the lines of battle. things like honor. to be concerned with the way one's actions are perceived, not only by one's immediate peers, but by disinterested outside observers. duty. in the sublime leesian sense of the word. not the aggrandizing macaurthur but the quiet and gentle lee. humilty like grant's. when he went to accept lee's surrender he was wearing muddy boots (because he rode all night to get there) and a borrowed tunic, without any insignia or badge of rank. loyalty and tenacity like sherman. when he was asked once about some very derogartory things which were being said about his friend grant sherman said "grant stood by me when i was crazy, i stood by him when he was drunk, now we stand by each other, always."

the greatest of all those qualities is love.

3:01 PM  
Blogger Sherry Pasquarello said...

yes, i believe that.



and i have never watched old yeller since the very first time when i was a kid.

can't stand books or movies where animals are hurt.

8:44 PM  
Blogger Deborah Newell said...

What a gorgeous coda to an equally-gorgeous episode.

I hope your new fans become regulars, both at your place and on this page!

Beautiful.

6:35 AM  
Blogger Rez Dog said...

Warriors are indeed mushballs. the year I was in Vietnam was the year Love Story came out. A copy was passed around in my platoon. You could always tell who had it because there would be a grunt surrounded by all the implements of war trying not to sniffle too loudly. I was no exception.

12:40 PM  

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