Family Values

Before I started with this thread, I like to say that Family values has been instilled in me since I was in the Army. In my time Mission was always first, but in my units, "family comes first" was preached, practiced and applied. What this meant was, when ever we go on a long field problem, we have to make sure that while were out, our family would not have any problems that would break our concentration from doing what we had to do. This meant, making sure our family had access to money, were able to handle every situation in garrison as if we were present, this meant giving a power of attorney, making sure they have access to bank accounts so they are able to pay the rent, but food, or what ever. Thing is Mission comes first, but so must the family.

Interesting this about all this is that this applied not just to field problems but also when you got transfer orders to go t places like KOREA.

Story: In 1976, when I joined the army I was 17 years old, with my mother consent of course. Like every one, there was basic, AIT and permanent  party.

Well I meet a woman like many SM always do, and she had a baby. The baby was a 3 month old girl who was abandoned by her father. Thing was I feel in love with this little girl and took on the responsibilities of fatherhood. Shortly after some time me and her mother got married. My age at the time was 18. I truly enjoyed the family thing and military all at the same time.

FAST Forward: Me and her mother got a divorce and well, the last time I seen the baby girl, she was 12 years old. At that time I heard from her cousins that she missed me so much that many times she would cry praying to see me. When she saw me, she was very happy. But after that we got disconnected again because her mother got remarried and they had moved. Personally I looked for her every where in the internet, but no such luck. Today is 3/23/2014, last week Friday, as I tried to reset the password to one of my Facebook accounts, I had to go to my Gmail, and after 24 years of being apart, there she was. My little girl with an email dated January 2014. She too has been looking for me for the past 24 years. same as me. I was worried, but the funny part was that when I wrote back I asked her to questions like does she have a Facebook, email on outlook or home phone number so we could never loose contact again. when I sent that reply, I kept reading her message and the questions I asked she had already given me. less then 30 minutes later, we started chatting in Facebook like as if "Not that we found each other were never going to let this happen again", just yesterday we spoke on the phone and felt that our search was no over.

I want to share some of the pictures that she always had of me when I was in the Army, she had all our pictures and always looked at them and never forgot about me.