Four Heroes in One Day – One of the highlights of visiting my son Jonathan at the US Naval Academy was watching his entire class march on the parade field carrying weapons in perfect unison. Then later the same day, they took to the parade field again and retook their oath to the US and to the US Naval Academy.
The midshipmen and the US Flag went by while the Navy band played the Marine Hymn several times. Each time, my dad or oldest son (both US Marines) looked down at me sitting in my wheelchair. They knew what I was feeling and reached down and helped me stand. What an honor to have my US Marine son and father there as my youngest son marched by as a US Naval Academy Midshipmen.
I fought back the tears as pride swelled within me. I turned to both of them and told them they were two of my heroes. None of us could say a word as the moment put a lump in our throats. Words were not necessary anyway, we could feel each other’s love and admiration.
Soon after, my dad, Jason and I were walking around the US Naval Academy yard and stopped by the information center. A man was sitting behind a table giving information. We asked him for directions and he patiently told us how to get there. Just as we turned to leave, we saw his nametag. He not only was a retired admiral, but won the Congressional Medal of Honor. I asked him, “Sir, what did you do to receive such an honor.” He replied, “In WWII my ship was the only ship to actually attack mainland Japan. We disguised our ship as a cargo ship and hid our guns. We knew we were probably going to die, but as the Captain, I encouraged my men to be the best of the best. They rose to the occasion, besides freedom was stake and the tyranny of Japan had outraged us so much that we willingly risked our lives. When we were within range, we pulled out our weapons and sank three Japanese ships and damaged four more. We caused so much damage so quickly that they were confused enough for us to sneak back out to sea.”
As I listened to his bravery, I wondered how many times I had played it safe and walked away from my mission in life because of high stakes. I had just met my third hero for the day.
On the final day of Parents Weekend we all departed at different times, over the course of three hours. Each of us hugged Jonathan and said our good-byes. I could tell something was on Jonathan’s mind, so I arranged to stay an extra hour with him. We took a drive together and he told me how hard the academy was and that he was under such pressure to excel. He told me he didn’t just want to finish – he wanted to finish well. He turned to me and said, “Dad, I need encouragement.” A tear rolled down his cheek as I told him over the next hour how special he was and how much I admired him. I told him he was doing something that few people in the world could do. Finally, I told him about the Admiral I met, and that Jonathan was an even bigger hero to me. I told him that each of us is a hero if we give it everything we have.
As I continued encouraging him, he sat up straighter and strength seemed to flow through him. He slowly transformed into a rejuvenated man right before my eyes. He turned back to me and said, “Thanks Dad. You are my hero – I love you Dad.” Now I was the one who was reduced to tears. I dropped him back off at the academy and he marched back in with a new-found confidence. God reminded me that anyone can be a hero if they are encouraged. Words of encouragement are like adrenaline to the soul and human heart. Do you want your children to be heroes and believe you are too – all it takes is encouragement.
