Jaxon is incommunicado as he is in the throngs of The Crucible. His adventure began at 0200 this morning (that's 2:00 am) when they were awakened and began a 6-mile march loaded down with all their gear. Several obstacle courses were on the menu for the day to include doing obstacles while carrying stretchers, weapons and ammo. He also gets to endure many hand-to-hand battles. The day will end when they will sleep from 1200-0400; meaning they will have been going strong for nearly 24 hours to get a small reprieve of 4 hours of sleep. Tomorrow will see another rigorous schedule while the sleep deprivation and lack of food builds. Rain and cold are in the forecast.
Why would anyone choose to do this? Kids his age are enjoying their young life, not asking for this kind of torture. But, if young men like him won't choose this, who will? The amazing thing about freedom is that we get to choose not to even defend it. We think it's honorable and necessary to serve in the military, as long as it's not me or my kid. Jaxon chose this path, even when his parents were trying to pull the reigns tighter and steer him in another direction....at least to consider other directions. Soon, we will be asleep in our warm bed while he's still in the mud struggling to complete the day's tasks.
The military doesn't have a monopoly on service and sacrifice. Law enforcement, teachers, doctors & nurses, missionaries, and many charities are just some of the other pathways of people who serve. Great is the person who will sacrifice a warm bed for mud, for a patient, for a student, for a brother or sister, or for a flag. Jaxon has chosen his path for now and other pathways will no doubt follow. In about 48 hours he will be a United States Marine. His Mom and I are truly proud of him, not only because he'll be a Marine but because he chose his pathway; not to be easy but to be hard.
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