Jonah

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I am thankful for some many many things but this year i am especially thankful for Jonah, Jason's brother, the fourth child in the lineup of 11 children.

Jonah is a marine and he is on a boat right now and will be home in three weeks for good. He also served a 7 month tour in Iraq in a recon division which means he was the one to go in before the massive amount of troops and sweep through builings and such as in urban warfare.

When Jonah announced that he was going to enlist I immediately became anxious. Jason and i discussed it and we decided that jason needed to talk him out of it, that it was not the right choice for him. He never had that discussion with Jonah except for little mentions of our ideas for him and Jonah went off to boot camp. It's an odd feeling to have someone leave for boot camp, and he was the first family member to join the military. Thoughts flashing through my mind of coverage that I had seen of the war, uneasy feelings in my stomach about the thought of ever seeing him again.

When Jonah left for boot camp he was a boy. He was quiet, shy even, and seemed to young and innocent and weak. When he returned from boot camp, well there was a noticeable difference. He was a man. The military had turned him into the kind of man that looks you in the eye when he talks to you and stops talking when you look away or move your attention from him. He spoke articulately and in few words but communicated his thougths in detail. And his physcial demeanor? Well, he was strong and his body had become one of his weapons, in a good way.

When Jonah left for Iraq, I'd say that people were sad, but that is an understatement. But, when he returned, the joy far outweighed the sadness. He will be home in three weeks and the word that floats around in my mind is relief.

You can agree with the war or disagree but one thing is certain, you must support the troops that are there or are here at home. They are doing there job and their families are desperately missing them and worrying about them so it isn't fair to bash the war when these people have loved ones that are serving their country for you. They are heores and I am thankful, especially for my brother Jonah.