4th of July Cookout (hankey alert)

Today is the July 4th, the day we celebrate our independence. All across the country families are gathering and enjoying cookouts with all the fixings; hamburgers, hot dogs, Watermelon, lemonade, if you step outside you can smell the meat cooking on the grill. All across this great nation of ours there will be baseball, horseshoes, and croquet, and when it get's dark, all over this country you will here the sounds of fire works and see the marvelous displays.

For my family it was no different, except for one thing, my little brother recently returned from Afghanistan was spending the next few weeks with us and Dad wanted to do a little ceremony to honor him for his service to his country on our behalf.

It is a scene I will never forget:
I'm standing in the kitchen at my parent's home, it feels like it's a hundred degrees in there, because they didn't turn on the air conditioning. There are about 50 people crammed in here, all of the family; Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and all their kids. We are all sweating profusely, finally my dad starts to give his speech, he starts and stops emotion catching his throat. I think "Just say it Dad!" getting impatient. He finally got his speech out and gave my brother a plaque commemorating his service. I was watching my brother's face, I could see that he was grateful but he pauses a moment, then asked for a moment of silence before completely braking down. I had never heard such gut wrenching sobs! I don't think there was a dry eye in the room as he told of his fellow soldier, a young man who he had been witnessing to, a young man who had his life all figured out. A young man who the next day was gunned down and died in my brother's arms crying "Save me, Save me". We observed a moment of silence in honor of this young man, and I saw my dad holding my little brother, comforting him. One of the uncles was asked to say a prayer for the family and loved ones of this brave soldier. My brother apologized for losing control, but no one had been offended.

For a brief moment we realized what so many other families were going through on this 4th of July so that we can enjoy our cookouts and fireworks in peace. And I for one was heartily ashamed of my impatience moments before. We are some of the lucky ones, it could have been my brother that came home in a box, had it not been for the fact that the enemy's gun jammed the day my brother faced him and I'm sure some where in Afghanistan a family morns for the life that my brother took when he drew his knife across that enemy soldier's neck. And suddenly War is real to me.

I am thankful for my freedom and I am extremely proud of my little brother, for choosing to go and fight for that freedom. I know he did what he had to do in order to survive and I know he will never be the same because of this experience. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that God sent an angel to jam the gun of the man who's aim was to take my brother's life. I don't know to what purpose my brother was saved but I pray that he finds it and God will continue to grant him protection.

Titus, I love you and am so proud of you!!!!!