“Not long ago my father passed away; we were never really close. I attended his funeral in Newport News, hugged my sisters, bade my farewell and flew back to Baltimore. It was when I recalled the color guard of the United States Air Force presenting arms and performing the 21-gun salute for my father that I realized the things he taught me.
“We didn't grow up rich. We lived meekly. We had our problems. My dad was a master sergeant and he was away a lot -- and I blamed him for that for many years. As a Marine, I now understand the duties that pull us away from our families, and how we can't always give our families all that we would like to provide.
“As those Airmen fired those shots over my father's grave, it dawned on me that my father taught me one of life's greatest lessons -- that money isn't everything, that freedom is worth everything, even dying for if you have to, and to cherish the time you have with your family and friends when you're not deployed and while here on this Earth. It was on the way back on that plane to Baltimore, as tears rolled down my cheeks, I realized that I am indeed my father's son.”
Ssgt. Keith Campbell, U.S. Marine Corps