story7470.xml

story7470.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-15

This day of September 11 2001, will be etched in my mind forever. My oldest son Joseph, was entering the AIR FORCE, preparing to go, but had not signed his final papers to go yet. He and his recruiter were playing phone tag.Well while at work in a preschool setting, another teacher heard what was happening on the radio. I was too busy to talk and went back to my room. Another teacher came into our room and told us about the towers and that there were other planes still flying around. Well that's when the "terror" struck me. I went running to use the phone and call my son at home, who was only working part-time while preparing to go.I asked him if he heard what was going on, and he said yes. I asked him if he had signed his final papers yet and he said yes,he had just signed the night before. The answers were not what I wanted to hear, but I knew there was no going back. Joe also said," Mom if you don't want me to go I won't", so I knew there was nothing we could do about it.We are a very close family. After we hung up he had called his brother's grade school to make sure they were ok.And that he was home if they needed to come home.The secretary told me this later,and I never asked Joe to call, but he wanted to know that his little brothers w were ok.Joe left for TEXAS on Mon. Oct.8 with lots of support and love, we also had a going away party for him.I guess the hardest part was that I never thought that while I was holding him as a baby that I would be watching him walk away like that for the military, especially during a war.He mostly signed up because one of his good friends had joined and their recruiter was a friend. His reasons for going in were to get an education, travel,make money,and a career, because he knew college wasn't for him.Well that day put a whole new light on things,the not knowing if they would let him go in to be an electrician, or wether they were going to train him for combat and send him overseas. Luckily so far he finished basic training, graduated tech school with a "B" average and is working on DoverAFB in DE.He is very independent now, bought a car and drives home very often.I believe that the angels were watching over him the whole time because I have a few up there. I have also become very spiritual in this past year because I knew that I couldn't be there to keep him safe anymore, which had been his dad's and my job for so many years.How do you let go of someone you carried for 9 mo.,raised for 19 yrs., in a matter of minutes? I had a very traumatic childhood, and I swore that my children would have better, and they have. Well that is my story, one that I never thought I would have.We know it was the best decision he made, and we are all very proud of him.We didn't fall apart at home because he would not have wanted that.I have a few words of advice to parents out there. Don't be afraid to raise nice, caring, sensitive children, especially boys, because it will be worth it. They won't grow up to be "wooses", they will make you proud and they will be glad you did what you did!Thanx Kathy.