Jacob Paul Kratavil
When he came to me and told me he was thinking about signing up for the delayed entry program into the Army, my first response was that it was not a very good idea. Actually I can't even print what I said to him. Simply put I was not too keen about him being in any branch of the military. I told him that if anything he should do the Air Force, because besides prospective employers post his tenure in service would perceive intelligence associated with Air Force on his resume...and it wasn't frontline. Told him that the only thing that would be more stupid than signing up for the Army would be signing up for the Marines. A week later he comes up to me and tells me he had signed up for delayed entry into the Marines. That was more than 3 years ago and the maturation that he has gone through has made me view his experience as one of great value. He went in as a very disorganized boy in search of himself (which is pretty much the status of most young males his age), spending periods of his life seeking answers in various forms. Spending some time studying Islam, then some time studying wicca. Always in search of understanding the details of whatever and wherever his interests would lead him. When he came home for a short leave after his stint in bootcamp, I could already see the changes. He has become a man...a son that I am very proud of. A good soul, sensitive to others, sensitive to his innerself. I have no need to seek fortune and fame, because my sons will be my mark of accomplishment in this lifetime. And because of this one, I have accomplished much.
Jay, the Marine (sometimes pronounced "Maureen")
What happened to that little child that as an infant I would lovingly refer to as "my little chinaman"? I watched him grow up, sometimes wanting him to get here quick to be more responsible...but as that day got closer, the more I began to wish that we could go back to the beginning and start over. To go through it much slower so I could soak up more memories, cherish more moments. Each new visit with him, I see all the changes...the growth that he has gone through, built upon the foundation he set while at home. During his tour of the Mediterranean, he called to tell me that he was going on a "training exercise" and that I wouldn't hear from him for a month...didn't sound right to me, so worrying set in. A week of communication silence broken with a call telling me that since there was a press leak he could tell me he was in Kosovo. "Oh great," I thought, "just what a parent wants to hear that their son is in the Balkan hotbed, what could be worse?" How about getting a call on 9/12 with him telling me that they were heading out of Kosovo, couldn't tell me where and that it would be awhile before I would hear from him again. Months of silence while Afghanistan raged on and finally his voice on the phone telling me he was on his way home in a few days as his group was being relieved of their long tour away from home. Now with all that is still happening in Iraq, silence again. They say "no news is good news", little does that do for the nerves. I just know that so much more than words could ever express, knowing there is always a smile inside when I hear him call me "Pops"...soon, I hope to hear this again...
mail to: house of boongus@hotmail.com
to my house
