I WANT YOU!

Dear Uncle Sam,

I WANT YOU!

I've always liked that sign of yours.

Well, you aren't getting me, but you're getting something better. You're getting my son.

If all goes as planned he will be enlisting in the Marines this weekend, which I suppose will make me, from here on out, a little partial to the United States Marine Corps.

But, truth be told, it really doesn't matter to me. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines - all of the men and women who choose one of these careers is choosing an honorable, selfless, dangerous, and sacrificial path for their future.

Each uniform gives me goose bumps. Each uniform is a sign of sacrifice.

But do you know? Do you know the gift you are receiving when a mother signs those papers? Do you know that when a mother signs those papers she gets a lump in her throat and her chest feels so tight she fears she will stop breathing? Do you know that when a mother signs those papers, she would rather walk through a war unarmed than send her child away to be trained to fight? Do you know that when a mother signs those papers, you might as well wrap her heart in body armor and drop it into the middle of a mine field?

Or forget the body armor. It doesn't matter.

Do you know that when a mother signs those papers she might actually, for a split second, forget how to spell her name? For a split second the lines on the paper become a little blurry.

I know that what you see in my son is a young, healthy teenager who is eager to serve. You see a kid who is ready to be shaped and molded; broken down and rebuilt into a member of the mightiest military force in the world.

But do you know what I see when I sign him over to you? I see the tiny baby boy who stole my heart nearly eighteen years. I see the chubby five year old who used to PLAY at fighting battles, not a young man who will be TRAINED to fight them.

So why do we do it? Why do we mothers sign those papers? We do it because, for nearly eighteen years, we have prayed over our children. We have worried over them. We have shaped and molded and wondered if we are doing any of it right. But mostly, we have watched and listened. We have learned about our children. We have learned to read the signs - the signs that tell us that this is indeed what he wants to do, what he needs to do. We watch him and we see that he is more enthusiastic about this military choice than he's been about anything. We watch him and see that he is content. We see a peace about him that wasn't there before.

And so we sign those papers because we know that he will go with or without our signature, with or without our blessing. And we so desperately want our sons and daughters to leave our homes with a sense of peace, knowing that their parents are backing them a thousand percent. We sign them because there is no way in this world we want to alienate our child by not accepting his career choice.

So, in less than a year, my son will be heeding your call, Uncle Sam. Less than a year. Every parent in the world can tell you how quickly a year passes when it comes to our children. I will blink my eyes and he will be starting a new chapter in his life - a chapter that he will author himself, as it should be.

I just wanted to remind you, Uncle Sam, that our sons and daughters are our most priceless treasures; and when you receive them for your service I hope you treat them as such.

And speaking of daughters...I have one. And history has not yet recorded a battle as vicious as the one you will see if you dare to set your sights on her.

I'm just sayin'.

Sincerely,
Almost a Marine Mom,
HW