My Hero

It was bound to happen one day... I knew this to be true... I just didnt think I was ready for it when it finally happened. The day I found out that my Grandpa was in the hospital was the best day of my year and the worst day of my year all at the same time. I was spending some quality time with my mother and she was trying to show me how great Midland was (by taking me to the Presidential Library) when we received a call from my Grandma that we needed to come to Utah. While we made plans to travel to Utah, I received another phone call. This one was from my First Sergeant in Recruiting. He told me that I had put on a curtailment list and was leaving recruiting a year early. As most of you know, I have hated recruiting since day one. This was a blessing and a gift from above. As you can imagine my thoughts were running the entire spectrum of emotions. I was happy to be leaving recruiting but terrified that my Grandpa was leaving this earth. My Mother and I flew to Utah to assess the situation with my Grandpa before we informed the family to come up. When we arrived we found my Grandpa weak but in good spirits. The rest of my Aunts and mother were not taking it well and I was put on night watch to tend to Grandpa at night. I could tell that my Aunts were exhausted and so I gladly accepted this watch.

The only other time I have spent worse nights were when I was in Iraq and Africa. I did not get hardly any sleep at all because of the constant sounds of machines beeping and alerting me that my Grandpa was not getting enough oxygen. I constantly jumped up and checked the machines, paged the nurses and assisted my Grandpa with his oxygen mask. I was able to spend some time on those nights talking to my Grandpa and letting him know how much I loved him. He told me that he was proud of me and loved me too. We spent a great night watching a Utah Jazz game together and trying to spend as many precious moments with each other as we could.

The day that the family decided to stop the machine was the hardest day of my life. I have always looked to my Grandpa as being a superhuman man that could do anything. I never thought it would come to this. I did not want to be present in the room when he passed and so me and my Aunt Carol decided to go sit outside and reflect. She had lost my cousin Dean a few years before and hated hospitals as much as I do. I have seen and experienced way more death than I should have in my short time on this earth and did not feel I could take anymore at this time. Grandma finally came out and requested that we all be there to support her and my Aunts and so I reluctantly went back into the room. He finally passed and we all rallied around each other to support each other.

We were able to give Grandpa a nice military funeral that I am sure he was proud of and buried him where he wanted to be buried. I have always found that area of the country around Bear Lake to be some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen. I once had a conversation with my mother before I went to Iraq for the second time that if I was called home, then there were only two places I wanted to be buried. Either in Arlington National Cemetary or next to my Grandparents in Utah.

I still do not think that I have fully come to grips with losing my Grandpa and dont know if I ever will. He was my hero and one the main reasons I ever decided to join the military. He was proud to serve his country and was always an inspiration to me.

My single regret that I will always carry with me is that....my future wife (whoever that may be), and my unborn children will never get to meet this man that has meant so much to me. I love you Grandpa and miss you dearly.....