Farewells, Hugs and ringing phones

Last night I expressed my farewells to my soldier as he returns to Italy on a 6:30 AM flight aboard Delta. He chose to spend his last hours home with his friends which is not surprising. It amazes me when I look at my warrior and see a different person. He is now grown, confident and direct. I didn't get to spend as much time with him as I wanted but the time we did share will never be forgotten. It was so grand to have him home safe and sound. On his second night home he removed his tee shirt only to reveal an 8 inch scare down the back of his shoulder. This was not a scare from his childhood, so when I asked him where did that come from he told me "Dad, I have no clue. We were in a fire fight from hell and when the smoke cleared I was asked if I was hit and I was baffled by the question until I felt the blood dripping down my back. I am not sure if it was from AK or from mortar fire. " I later spied many other scars on his body of which he really didn't want to talk about. I guess I am fortunate enough that my son is not having to endure life as a WIA at WRMC or another medical center.

Alex did come to my home last night to pick up his things and pack for his return to his brothers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy. It seems to me to be one of the longest hugs that I can remember. I have come to realize that he is now a man and no longer a child. It is a hug that I will not soon forget. He did try and call Delta Airlines to get a later flight (he had a 6:30am departure but wanted to get on the 9:10am) but they wanted an additional $1,700.00 for the change which he refused.

At 6:30 AM I received a call from him a little frantic that they wouldn't let him on the flight as they have already boarded. I told him to find a sympathetic ear at the counter. I then jumped onto the phone and called Delta's Corp, office to see what I can do for him. It turns out that while I am on hold Alex in fact does find someone sympathetic and gets on the flight at 9:10 am at no additional cost. I am a little miffed that they tried to take him for $1,700.00 dollars which is more than the original $1,600.00 that he paid for a round trip. He did mention that he was on active duty and just trying to extend his stay by a couple of hours. It really does disgust me that Corp, America is displaying it's feigns on our warriors who shed their blood in our countries honor. I am not posting the photos of Alex while he was home only because I don't want to humiliate him on line..... lol.

Larry Arnone
San Francisco

AKA Bluestardad (and I want to keep it that way)