A Frigid Reflection 1.

Jun 15

I remember driving up after a Christmas spent with my grandparents in Idabel, OK where I was born. We were headed north, my parents, brother and sister were all inside of a silver caravan. When we arrived we found ourselves in a parsonage on McClellan Street. I remember that was the first time I had seen more than a dusting of snow. The year was 1994 and I did not know anyone.

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I attended the Church of Christ across from the High School, because my dad was their new preacher. I was enrolled at Sandy Knoll Elementary School and started 1st Grade there. I remember one kid came in wearing roller blades, he glided around the room with ease. It was pretty cool.

I grew up within the Marquette school system from Elementary (Sandy Knoll) to Middle (Graveraet) which later transitioned to Gwinn Middle, and High School. In my senior year I had taken a Health Occupations class where I commuted to Marquette.

During this time I had established many relationships, as people do when they are growing up.

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Most of my friends were involved with the Church that our family went to. I did have some friends from school, or that lived nearby.

I would say that I was very sheltered growing up. I did not comprehend or understand a lot.

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In 7th Grade, my dad had lost his job as a preacher at the Church of Christ and we moved from the parsonage to a 4 bedroom unit previously used as family housing for the KI Sawyer Airforce Base.

Starting at Gwinn Middle School I was in my first classroom waiting on the teacher to start school.

I looked over at a kid next to me. he said “Are you a Fudge Packer?” I was so oblivious and innocent at that moment in my life that I had to ask him what it meant. In which he laughed hysterically.

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My Dad had been in the National Guard as a Chaplain since I was in 4th Grade. Previously I had heard stories about Special Forces training in regards to training to become an “Aid Man” 18D (MEDIC). He also served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a Medic until he got out. He then got a Masters Degree In Divinity and was commissioned with the Michigan Army National Guard.

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I remember his first Deployment. He was assigned as a Chaplain to work with a Blackhawk (aviation) unit out of Rhode Island. He flew off from Ki Sawyer Airport over to Rhode Island to meet up with the unit before the deployment to Iraq.

I remember seeing him wiping his eyes looking out of the window of the Airplane at us. My mother had even verbally stated to us that he was crying.

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This was the beginning to a new era for me.

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