DEPARTURE

June 3, 1983 There was a knock at the door,and when I opened it there stood a young man, a teenager. He was dark skinned made darker by the white straw cowboy hat that he wore perfectly straight on his head, nothing cocky projected. Faded skin tight wrangler jeans, big cowboy belt and plain cowboy boots, an everyday horse riding cowboy. I was thinking "who is this", when he said "Mr Curtis my name is Mike, I have a date with your daughter Kim, is that alright?"

 Come in I said, and looking past him I saw an old faded blue pickup truck, but it was clean and well cared for. That is a pattern that over time I learned that he lives by, he takes care of whats given to him.

Thats how I met Mike the cowboy stranger, and one year later we were kin folks,he became my son in law. Mike and my daughter now have three children, one is to graduate this year, one next year, and one is only six. Zach ,Amanda and Jonah.

Mike is a real hero man, not for glory, its just something in his heart. He never passes an accident, but gets right there in the middle of it, helping the injured. Ive seen it time and again.When my son was sick and lying unconscious in the hospital, Mike stayed right there with him, talking gently to him and unashamedly kissing him on the forehead to let him know he wasn't alone.

Mike joined the Army for two years and then got out and joined the reserves for two years, then opened his own motorcycle shop. One day he came in the door of our house sweaty and breathing hard, he had ran the two miles from their home to ours. When I asked what was wrong he said "just getting back in shape." "That's good " I said, and then he told me, "I'm going back in the Army to be a Medic and so I have to pass the physical, running is this hardest part".

 I couldn't believe that at this stage of his life he would do this, all the training, the moving of his family, the hardship involved,and danger. I wondered how his family would take the news? They supported him all the way, they know him well, he takes care of whats been given him ,including his talents and his heart to care of the hurt, once he decides to do something, he will pay the price to accomplish it.

Our greatest concern was that he might have to go to Iraq, but we should have known that he would make sure of it, he requested deployment to Iraq.

Before he shipped out he had a going away party at his house. He was so well liked and respected by his fellow medics that several of them drove all night to be there at the party. As I looked at these young men I was taken back by their youth, they were just kids, barely out of high school, Mike was the old man among them. But they loved him and respected him, and I'm sure that they learned what a compassionate hero is from him. I was glad that he was there for them.

Now Mike is in Iraq , I miss him, we all do, but Im thankful that he made himself available to a lot of mothers sons that are there in that desert, and he will never pass an opportunity to help one who is hurt, whether American or Iraqi. He is a fine example of what Americans ought to be, he represents us well, he is the face of a real American hero. Pray for him when you can


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