Brother's patriotic decision affects entire family

by Brant Thurmond, staff writer

For as long as I can remember, I have had several memories with my brother.

He has been a very big part of my life. He is funny, athletic and always has the right advice to keep me from getting in trouble with my parents. But recently he decided to join the Marine Corp and serve our country.

My brother, Breck, is 21 and will be 22 in June. He is my only brother, so you can imagine what this did to my parents and I when he left for boot camp about a month ago.

In November 2006, he told my mom about signing up. However, my mom thought of it as just a joke until he told her his ship date. He was originally going to be shipped out on April 9, but he decided to go three weeks early.

I felt bad because I wasn’t here for nearly two weeks before he left, so that would have been valuable time that I could have spent with him. I was in Houston, and then went on a trip to Washington D.C. with the college’s broadcast journalism program.

When March 20 rolled around, I went to Lubbock with my parents to send him off. Words can’t even explain what was going through my head at the time. The recruiters gave my parents an option. The shuttle could either take my brother to Amarillo or we could. It took my brother a split second to say “see ya later.” My mom couldn’t believe it. I was in a hurry to get back to the college so I wouldn’t miss class.

After we left the Marines office, we went to Chili’s restaurant and ate. By this point, my parents were crying and all I could think to say was that it will be alright. He is coming back, which is easy for me to say because I didn’t raise him. I am just his brother.

I found out how hard it was going to be without him when it hit me when I was coming back to Levelland. My mom said something about him, and I just started crying. It took me nearly an hour to realize what was going on, and that my brother would be gone for three months.

When we got back to my apartment, my mom said something about my brother, and I told her not to mention his name right then because I could not even hear his name without crying. You can call me a sissy, but I really don’t care.

So now it has been nearly a month since my brother left, and I have already stepped up  my patriotism. I have started to pay really close attention to the War in Iraq. 

I know that my brother will not go directly to Iraq because of the field of duty he is in, but I have to realize that he will be in the Marine Corp for eight years. So that is eight years of my life, his life and my parents’ lives that he has impacted with his decision to join.

A brother of a friend of mine in high school joined the military when my friend was a freshman. I can imagine the pain he went through.  He told me, “It is fine when you know that your brother is still in the states and safe, but it is when he goes to Iraq that it gets scary. You never know what is going to happen to him while overseas. A suicide bomber could kill several people, including your brother.” This is very true. But all I can do is hope and pray that the war will be over soon, and that if he does go to Iraq, he will come home safely.

On the day my brother left, one of the Marine recruiters wanted my number to get a hold of me, and my brother, just being himself, gave the recruiter my number. I told him he could call me after 6 p.m that day, and at 6:05 p.m my phone was ringing. A recruiter wanted to come to my apartment and talk to me, so I told him to come the next day, and he did.

Later that day, my dad called me and tells me NOT to join. He said that he and my mom are taking my brother leaving hard. He said to tell the recruiter that I am not interested, and to stay in college and get my degree.

If worse came to worse and I couldn’t land a job in journalism, I would honestly consider it. I don’t want to join right now, because I am in college and I have so much going good for me. I support my brother’s decision 110 percent though. It is his life to live, and I believe that God has directed him to do what he did.