Column 4: Praise for those who serve

On September 2nd, my family and I had the honor of being invited to a promotion ceremony for our friend, and now Marine Corps Colonel, Skip Nordhoff.  Skip and my husband have been best friends since their college days. Skip completed Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and upon graduation was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, serving for seven years on active duty.

The ceremony took place in the Charlestown Navy Yard.  The backdrop of the USS Constitution, the American flag waving and Skip and three of his fellow officers, all in uniform, could not have been a better location.  A dozen close friends and family stood to listen not just to the ceremony but to bear witness to his gratitude toward his family, his fellow servicemen and friends for their commitment and support to him over the last 22 years (seven active duty and fifteen in the reserves).

This month I, like so many people, have spent much time thinking about September 11 as well as its aftermath.  The commitment of men and women like Skip who make their own personal sacrifices and their support networks who sacrifice as well has been ever present in my thoughts.  I remembered when Skip was called to service in Iraq three and a half months after his daughter’s first birthday and a few months after his deployment how his wife moved their family into a new home alone.  To help facilitate the move, I drove down to help and was there the next morning when he called to tell her that Saddam Hussein had been captured.  Watching my friend celebrate and dance around the kitchen with their children is a memory that I will never forget.  He spent eight months in Iraq.  Just two years ago, he was mobilized again, this time for 17 months of which 12 were state-side, but also included all of last fall (4 months) in Afghanistan. Watching his son and daughter pin “eagles” on his collar to signify his promotion to Colonel with those memories intertwined gave me greater perspective into the depth of their sacrifice.

The reality is that this story is not unique to one man and one family but the hundreds of thousands of families who support their loved ones to serve and protect our country.  When I called Skip this morning to ask him how he would characterize his years of service, he simply said that he was just fulfilling his personal obligation and responsibility.  There are many people in our town who serve and have served their country. There are also the countless people, their families and friends, who share in their joys and who worry each day for their safe return. I have nothing more to say than thank you but I think there are no better words than that.