GI Joe

I suppose it was inevitable. He was going to join the military from the day he first stood up (with the aid of a strategically placed coffee table) and took his first steps.

And I guess I'm partly to blame. He loved Hasbro's GI Joes and all of the vehicles that came with them from a very early age. My wife and I fed that love by buying our boys these "war" toys.

When his brother and he played with them I remember a definite difference in how they played. While his younger brother went head long into "battle" without a thought, our soldier to be planned and strategized. He "softened up" the enemy with air power first. Then artillery. It was only after all of this that he committed ground forces to the "battle". This difference in "opinion" caused more than a few arguments and hurt feelings.

Now that I look back I can see that he was destined for this. Somehow it makes me proud of him and more than a little sad at the same time. When he went away for Basic Training it was one of the most moving (and upsetting) experiences of my life. I'll never forget the emotions I felt on that day.