by Ken King

This will be a little different for me this month.  I won’t be writing about the Y2K debacle and the billions spent on something that I felt would only impact a very few.  I won’t be writing about whether or not this is the new millennium, it’s not. I won’t be writing about the people running for office even though there is a lot to be said about the candidates.  I won’t be writing about pro-life issues or those that just don’t like it here in southern Maryland. Though I could spend quite a bit of time on any of the above topics.

So what is left for me to write about.  Actually quite a lot, but what I want to focus on this month is my youngest son and the pride I have in him.  In just a few days he leaves for service in the United States Army.  He does this at a time when enlistments are at one of the lowest points since the Vietnam War.   He has chosen Combat Engineer as his field with airborne training to follow.  While some of you might find the topic boring or of no value, I feel it is relevant to some of the decisions our youngsters have to make as they become adults. 

Last spring Mike turned 18 during his senior year at Leonardtown High School and had been contemplating going to a technical school in Ohio to continue learning the trade of the automotive maintenance field.  He had taken up this path while attending the St. Mary’s County Technical School.   He looked at quite a few of these type schools and the one school that had his interest had a good reputation for placing their graduates and seemed to offer everything a non-college bound person could want.  The price tag was a little stiff but based on what we were making I could have financed the schooling and that had been my plan.  Mike is what I would consider a typical youth; he could be considered an average student of average intellect living in an average community.  He could be the kid next door, down the street, or across town anywhere in America.  But unlike any kid he decided to join the Army.  Why?  Was it because he entered life as a military brat and has been around the military all his life?  Might be.  It’s something that the men in the family have all done.  Granted previous generations had different reasons for joining.  For some it was a better option than the luck of the draft.  Have the remainder done so because it became normal for us?

Military service has been a tradition in our family.  However, I personally have never advocated that he, or any of the kids, serve.  My father was the same.  I am proud that he has decided to give it a try, as I feel it will do wonders for him, or any kid for that matter.  Our oldest boy, Chad, changed a lot during his four-year tour (all for the better).  He is currently a senior at St. Mary’s and should graduate this spring with around a 3.8 grade point average.  I can only hope that Mike will follow a similar path or maybe he will make a career out of the military like his grandfather and uncles have done.  I didn’t make the twenty-year mark and he doesn’t have to either.  Regardless of what takes place in the future I feel that he is doing something for all of us by serving.  He has made the decision to put his life on the line to protect our way of life.  In this era of the all volunteer force all of us should feel lucky that there are men and women out there that willingly make this sacrifice so that we can continue to live as free people.

Besides all the pride and patriotic stuff it is a way for a kid to learn a skill or maybe even a way of life (not to mention some of the other benefits).  I doubt if there is a better way to contribute to society than by serving in the military.  I know it’s not for everyone and I’m not saying that.  I’m just really pleased that my boys have made the choice.  The only thing that could make me feel any better would be world peace.  Sad to say I don’t see it any time soon, but that’s another story.  I hope you can find something as bright in your life as I have and I truly hope you have a happy and successful New Year.