My Dad -- An American Hero

When I was a senior in high school, a friend of mine, Stephanie, was hired for an internship with the Navy in an office located at the NASA Stennis Space Center.  My dad also worked for the Navy in a different office at the same NASA site.  One evening after Stephanie got home from work, she called me.  She had seen my dad’s photo on the cover of what equates to a company magazine in the Navy.  “Mark, did you know your dad is THE boss,” she asked.  “Yeah, tell me about it.  He bosses me around all the time,” I said with my standard teenager, angst attitude.  “No, seriously, he’s over the Naval Oceanographic Operations for the ENTIRE Navy, worldwide.“ My reply, “Yeah…that’s what he keeps telling me.”

When my dad retired from the Navy in 1990, he was the Chief of Staff for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and my friend’s call two years earlier had slightly clued me into how big of a deal he was in his field.   The week he retired only cemented that idea.  Night after night my mom, my brother, and I were attending dinners and functions in my dad’s honor.  At the time, I’m sure there were TV shows I wanted to watch or other activities I would have preferred being involved in on those nights, but by the end of the week, I could see my dad was one of the most respected men in his field.  His retirement ceremony was the largest Navy event I had ever seen, and I had been dragged to a lot of them in my 20 years as a military dependent. 

Today, the stairway of my parents’ home is lined with all of the framed accolades my father received that week, including letters from the President, Senators, and other dignitaries.  There are also framed photos of all the places he served as an executive or commanding officer, along with images of the ships he served on during war and peace times.   There are military men and women still serving around the globe who worked for my dad almost 25 years later.  By every account I’ve heard, my father was an excellent military officer, tough but fair.  He expected a 110% effort because he gave 110% himself.

We have an ongoing joke in our family.  One of us will tell a story about something that happened at home or school during my dad’s 31 years in the Navy, and Dad will say “I don’t remember that.” And, without fail, someone will say something like, “I don’t know why.  You were always there.”  You see, because of my dad’s exemplary career in the Navy on ships and shore, he was gone for a large percentage of the first half of my parents' marriage and the first half of my life.  It’s a loss for our family for sure, but we, you, all of us, benefitted from those years he served.

My dad’s career as a Navy officer in two wars and as a commanding officer who led the men and women who guided our country’s ships from point A to point B around the world’s oceans is enough to make him an American hero.  But, to me, my dad is a hero because of how he has served our family this past year.  Dad has served 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as my mom’s primary caregiver as she has battled stage three ovarian cancer since the end of August last year. 

My dad will be 78 this month, and he has been with Mom at every step of this fight: every doctor appointment, every hard night, every difficult day, every meal, every cancer treatment, every two-hour commute to every medical appointment, every moment of good news, and every moment of sad news. My brother and I have tried to be with our parents as much as possible during this time, but Dad has been on the front line with Mom the entire time.   This time, he has always been there.  My mom is still recovering, but the doctors are encouraged and hopeful.  And, we owe a lot of her ability to survive and persevere in this painful and scary time to our dad.  That’s a hero. 

So today, on Father’s Day, we remember our Dad’s service to this country, and even more importantly, we celebrate his service to our family.  Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Love, Mark

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."