I love you Mom.

We chose this life that we are living right now. We chose to sign our name on the line to a cause we believe in. We do three months of basic training, followed by however long AIT takes. We’ve chosen to miss birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, all in the name of a cause that we believe is more worthy than all of that… even more worthy than missed memories.

We choose this life, but for some, this life chooses them. For those that are chosen for this life, they watch as their loved ones sign their name on the line to a cause they may not yet believe in. They ship their loved ones off to basic training and write them countless letters. They anxiously await for their arrival home from AIT. They take one for the team and spend their birthdays, anniversaries, and even holidays with out their loved ones.

And yet, it’s the ones who walk into the battle knowing and accepting the fight that receive all the recognition. How often have you seen a story on an American hero, that wasn’t in uniform? How often do you see a mom who lost a husband, a daughter, and two sons receive a care package to let them know that they are cared for? That somebody believes that they are just as much a part of the fight for freedom?

It’s easy to take for granted the people who wait for me back home. To know that they are there for me when I call at odd hours of the night. To know that they will snap those pictures so I don’t miss out on a weekend at the cabin or a night out with the girls.

It’s harder to realize that those people didn’t ask for this. They are silent heroes, who bear a burden that they never asked for, but yet never complain. And this is for them. For those calls they’ve answered and for the unyielding support they have given to the soldiers. I ask that you keep them in mind when you think about American heroes.

(I love you Mom.)

<3 Me.