A Mother's Son

Yesterday I had one of the most moving experiences of my life. I was able to meet my friend Cathi from Osborn, MO for the first time after getting to know her through e-mails, letters, and phone calls over the past year or so.
Cathi and I have both supported the troops using anysoldier.com for several years. Through our participation in "card swaps" and the anysoldier forum, we learned about each other's families. Both her sons were in the Army, but she also sent packages to other soldiers who needed things and didn't get much support from home. Cathi and I discovered much in common, and I found out that her family had lived only 25 miles from where I grew up in western Wisconsin when her husband--also in the Army--was stationed at Fort McCoy in the 80s.
On Memorial Day I wrote about the devastating loss Cathi's family suffered in January when her younger son Matthew's helicopter was shot down over Kirkuk, Iraq. Yesterday I had the privilege of getting to know Matthew through the memories of his mother. She brought along the scrapbook she had made for his wake, and I saw pages of him with his parents, brother, grandparents, and cousins. He kissed his bride and became a devoted father to a son and daughter. I saw the young boy who always wanted to fly join the Army and become a member of the 82nd Airborne, parachuting from a plane and later standing proudly in front of his Kiowa helicopter. Finally, on 1/26/09, he gave his life for his country. His older brother Christopher--who had just returned from his own Iraq deployment the summer before--escorted him home to Missouri for a hero's funeral.
Several thousand families all over this country have experienced the loss of a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. Most of us will not personally sacrifice anything as these wars continue. Cathi's wish is that we not wait for a funeral to express gratitude and caring for our military. The time to thank and support them is now, when they are far away from home and family, when a letter or package from someone they don't even know might be the boost they need to keep going a little longer.
As a mother, I feel Cathi's loss deeply. I admire her for raising sons with such courage and character, and for continuing to take care of other mothers' sons and daughters with packages as she lives a life without Matthew. I know we will be lifelong friends--and our next get-together will be in Missouri.
Please support our troops. http://www.anysoldier.com/