All -I am overseas and this is not the first Father's Day I have had to spend away from home. I send along best wishes to all other Dads from my station here at Bagram Airfield...It is a wistful place to be on Father's day but the reasons to be here are all easily apparent.
As Men and Fathers, we do what we must to ensure that our families receive the things they need spiritually, mentally, morally and monetarily. It is our task in life and we take it on eagerly as we made the decision to be the " Dad ".
A few words from the past that ring true today :
"None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of such a Father who has not his equal in this world - so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal."
A few words from the past that ring true today :
"None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of such a Father who has not his equal in this world - so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal."
- Queen Victoria of England
Enclosed is a copy of an article by a 13 year old girl who tells about her military Dad and her wishes of a Happy Father's day to him...very well done by the young lady.
HAPPY DAD's DAY to all DADS out there....especially those who are away from home & family serving our great Country.
A teen's thank-you to her military father
By Sophie Roth-Douquet - USA Today
This Father's Day, I imagine I'll pile store-bought food on paper plates and serve it to my Dad on a big cardboard moving box. That's because we've just arrived in Germany, in the latest of seven moves we've had since I was born.
This makeshift Father's Day is still better than last year, when my Dad and I celebrated via Skype. He was on the other side of the globe, deployed to Afghanistan. That was the fourth Father's Day I've celebrated without him.
So I have to ask: What kind of a father is a man who chooses to be in the military?
I'm a 13-year-old girl. My father is in the Marine Corps, and so I've gone to eight schools since kindergarten. This past move has been especially hard because I had to leave behind such good friends in South Carolina.
My Dad chose to live this life — moving every other year and getting deployed every three years. This is a great choice for him — he's an amazing Marine — but what about his family? Is it a good choice for us?
I've had to make new friends every one to three years. Sometimes I don't even make friends for the first six months, and then much of my time in the new location is already gone by then. I have to adjust to new school systems, sometimes even having to learn a new language.
I have to live without my father for months, or even a year at a time. I worry whether he's safe.
There are easier lives. Ours is challenging. Is it right to choose to raise your child this way?
Another question: Is it a parent's job to make their child's life as easy as possible, or do other lessons matter, too?
As I sit here typing, the idea of an easy life sounds good. On the other hand, as science fiction writer Robert Heinlein advised, "Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy."
I can see Heinlein's point. Have I been handicapped by ease? No. But I haven't been handicapped by military life either, if I reflect on the entire experience.
I've gotten to live all over the world. I've lived on three different continents —North America, Europe and Asia. I've learned new languages, which I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. I have friends around the world. I've gone to a bunch of schools and learned that there are different ways to teach, and to learn. All in all, I've been opened up to the world.
My Dad's work and encouragement has made it impossible for me to be close-minded. I've lived in places with people of every color under the sun and millions of different ideas in their heads. I've also lived in places with single-minded people and little ethnic diversity.
I've had richer experiences than most adults, and I still have my whole life ahead of me. But most importantly, I feel that I help people through my Dad's service. Sure I sacrifice, but I get the sense that Americans appreciate the sacrifices of military families like mine. I like that feeling.
I understand that when things are tough, my family is struggling for something greater than ourselves.
Finally, my Dad has helped me grow and given me plenty of reasons to be proud.
And with that, Happy Father's Day, Dad!
Sophie's family is still getting settled in Germany. Her mother, Kathy Roth-Douquet, is the co-founder of Blue Star Families.
Enclosed is a copy of an article by a 13 year old girl who tells about her military Dad and her wishes of a Happy Father's day to him...very well done by the young lady.
HAPPY DAD's DAY to all DADS out there....especially those who are away from home & family serving our great Country.
A teen's thank-you to her military father
By Sophie Roth-Douquet - USA Today
This Father's Day, I imagine I'll pile store-bought food on paper plates and serve it to my Dad on a big cardboard moving box. That's because we've just arrived in Germany, in the latest of seven moves we've had since I was born.
This makeshift Father's Day is still better than last year, when my Dad and I celebrated via Skype. He was on the other side of the globe, deployed to Afghanistan. That was the fourth Father's Day I've celebrated without him.
So I have to ask: What kind of a father is a man who chooses to be in the military?
I'm a 13-year-old girl. My father is in the Marine Corps, and so I've gone to eight schools since kindergarten. This past move has been especially hard because I had to leave behind such good friends in South Carolina.
My Dad chose to live this life — moving every other year and getting deployed every three years. This is a great choice for him — he's an amazing Marine — but what about his family? Is it a good choice for us?
I've had to make new friends every one to three years. Sometimes I don't even make friends for the first six months, and then much of my time in the new location is already gone by then. I have to adjust to new school systems, sometimes even having to learn a new language.
I have to live without my father for months, or even a year at a time. I worry whether he's safe.
There are easier lives. Ours is challenging. Is it right to choose to raise your child this way?
Another question: Is it a parent's job to make their child's life as easy as possible, or do other lessons matter, too?
As I sit here typing, the idea of an easy life sounds good. On the other hand, as science fiction writer Robert Heinlein advised, "Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy."
I can see Heinlein's point. Have I been handicapped by ease? No. But I haven't been handicapped by military life either, if I reflect on the entire experience.
I've gotten to live all over the world. I've lived on three different continents —North America, Europe and Asia. I've learned new languages, which I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. I have friends around the world. I've gone to a bunch of schools and learned that there are different ways to teach, and to learn. All in all, I've been opened up to the world.
My Dad's work and encouragement has made it impossible for me to be close-minded. I've lived in places with people of every color under the sun and millions of different ideas in their heads. I've also lived in places with single-minded people and little ethnic diversity.
I've had richer experiences than most adults, and I still have my whole life ahead of me. But most importantly, I feel that I help people through my Dad's service. Sure I sacrifice, but I get the sense that Americans appreciate the sacrifices of military families like mine. I like that feeling.
I understand that when things are tough, my family is struggling for something greater than ourselves.
Finally, my Dad has helped me grow and given me plenty of reasons to be proud.
And with that, Happy Father's Day, Dad!
Sophie's family is still getting settled in Germany. Her mother, Kathy Roth-Douquet, is the co-founder of Blue Star Families.
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