Slaying the Goliath

We used to fight all the time, when we were younger. Of course, that is typical for brothers, close in age, growing up together. It drove our mother crazy. Whenever she caught us, she would break it up and tell us, “You’re brothers! You’re supposed to love each other!”

Certainly, we loved each other; yet, during those early years of our lives we had only vague understandings of such great concepts as love, faith, freedom, and honor. Thankfully, our mother and father successfully instilled us with Judeo-Christian values.

We eventually came to understand those greater human concepts – concepts that speak through one’s actions as well as one’s words. My brother may not be a man of words, but he is certainly a man of great actions.

My brother is currently a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps. He joined the United States Marines when he was 18, just after graduating high school. In the midst of a War on Terror, he left his comfortable civilian life to serve this great country.

In January 2008, he was deployed for his first tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unlike heroes in the wars of old, my brother is blessed with modern technologies that allow him to keep in frequent contact with his family. We frequently exchange e-mails and the occasional telephone call. He has even been able to send us pictures taken with his digital camera.

He recently spent his 21st birthday on Iraqi soil - a landmark age in the United States. He has expressed to me how excited he is to get home and experience being 21 in America; yet, he knows his duty to his country and accepts it proudly.

Unlike me, he strays away from conversations about Republican versus Democrat or Right versus Left. Politics are not something that he enjoys. America is.

He loves his country very much. He has a bigger understanding of its greatness and its liberties than most Americans do. He has given up countless freedoms we take for granted every day to fight and if necessary, to die for this country. He is a true American Hero, as all of those men and women over there are.

Over the course of our lives, he has been the greatest friend I could ask for. I could not be more proud, and I love him very much. I have faith that God will bring him safely home to us, and I look foreword to the day I see him again. He will be back on American soil later this year. It is a true honor to be his brother.