My Father was killed in action on May 13th 2003. I had freshly just turned two years old and do not have any memories of him that are particularly my own. My memories of my father are ones that others had experience with him. One of my favorite memories of him told to me is one from my mother. There was this large hill in his home town. The hill was about a mile long and flattened out at the bottom. He and his friends would line up at the top of hill, each in their own cars. They would put the car in neutral and race down without touching the gas nor brakes. The first one to the bottom of the hills wins. Once they were near the bottom, the car would go extremely slowly and sometimes even stop. It was a race to see who could make it to the stop sign. I hold this memory near to me because it reminds me of my father’s innocence even in his adult years. That even with how difficult the military can be mentally and physically my father still had that innocence to want to race down a hill like a little kid. It reminds me that he could find the joy in little things. That sometimes you do not have to rush and hurry and get to where you are going, but to take a second and enjoy a little moment that will stay with you forever. It may be just a little race down a hill but to me it shows that enjoying the little things has so much purpose. In those moments of doing something fun like racing down a hill, the car only getting up to 30 miles an hour just to see if you can make it to a stop sign. It can seem so silly but the joy it brought him meant more than the 5 minute ride. It taught me to enjoy the little things. That you are never too old for a innocent little race to enjoy a good laugh with those around you that you care about. To live in the moment. It may not be my own memory of my father but it was I hold near my heart. My father was a very silly person and could make the most of any situation. Just like make the most of a small hill in his hometown into a small race track for himself.

My father was staff sergeant Patrick Lee Griffin Jr. He was killed in action on Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 13th, 2003. Growing up with a father who passed away in the military is an experience only those who have gone through it would understand. At the time I was only two years old and my brother was four. I learned about honor and what a real hero is at a very young age. It brought me great pride to tell the world how much of a hero my father was. Even with not remembering what his voice sounds like and only having memories that are from other memories not my own. I will always be proud that my father made the ultimate sacrifice. First he served his country and now he serves god. When it comes to my education I want to pursue a degree in business or marketing and join the Air Force as an officer in honor of my hero, my father. My brother enlisted in his honor as well in 2019. I want to carry the tradition and carry the Griffin name into the Air Force. My education is very important to me as the military has paid my way to obtain an associate in arts degree, an associate in science of surgical technology degree, and the begin of continuing my education to obtain a bachelor of business in marketing. My father never went to college. He went into the military at 27 years old and enlisted. He was the “old man” in basic training. He passed not too soon later at the age of 31. My father wanted me to get an education be successful and have all the things he never had. He was able to provide me with an opportunity to go to college by making that ultimate sacrifice. Still supporting me to this day with the opportunity to make this all happen. The military has always been there and has supported my family and me throughout the years. The military has become my family and I hope to continue that bond and become successful in the field all in honor of my father to make him proud as well as make myself proud. To know that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Growing up without him was not easy. Growing up learning the way he passed took years to wrap my head around. He was on a convoy that took a turn down the wrong road that had not been cleared for safe travel. The convoy pulled over to change tires and take bathroom breaks. My father got out of the passenger side and went to walk around to the back of the truck and made a wrong step. And just like that life had changed forever. He had set off an unknown bomb to be there due to going down a wrong road that hadn’t been cleared for safety. He was the only one killed on this convoy of 300 airmen. Because of this, my life changed forever. I have accepted what has happened and I want to make something of my life and follow in his footsteps and become an airmen as well post graduation.

My father was staff sergeant Patrick Lee Griffin Jr. He was killed in action on Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 13th, 2003. Growing up with a father who passed away in the military is an experience only those who have gone through it would understand. At the time I was only two years old and my brother was four. I learned about honor and what a real hero is at a very young age. It brought me great pride to tell the world how much of a hero my father was. I will always be proud that my father made the ultimate sacrifice. First he served his country and now he serves god. When it comes to my education I want to pursue a degree in business or marketing and join the Air Force as an officer in honor of my hero, my father. My brother enlisted in his honor as well in 2019. I want to carry the tradition and carry the Griffin name into the Air Force. My education is very important to me as the military has paid my way to obtain an associate in arts degree, an associate in science of surgical technology degree, and the begin of continuing my education to obtain a bachelor of business in marketing. My father never went to college. My father wanted me to get an education be successful and have all the things he never had. He was able to provide me with an opportunity to go to college by making that ultimate sacrifice. Still supporting me to this day with the opportunity to make this all happen. The military has always been there and has supported my family and me throughout the years. The military has become my family and I hope to continue that bond and become successful in the field all in honor of my father to make him proud as well as make myself proud. To know that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Growing up without him was not easy. Growing up learning the way he passed took years to wrap my head around. He was on a convoy that took a turn down the wrong road that had not been cleared for safe travel. The convoy pulled over to change tires and take bathroom breaks. My father got out of the passenger side and went to walk around to the back of the truck and made a wrong step. And just like that life had changed forever. He had set off an unknown bomb to be there due to going down a wrong road that hadn’t been cleared for safety. He was the only one killed on this convoy of 300 airmen. Because of this, my life changed forever. I have accepted what has happened and I want to make something of my life and follow in his footsteps and become an airmen as well post graduation.

My experience as a child of a parent in the military is quite different then your average military child. When I was 2 years old my father was deployed to Iraq on the operation of Iraqi freedom war. On May 13th, 2003 my father was struck by an IED and was killed. Out of the entire convoy my father was the only person to be killed. My father was only 30 years old. My experience with the military growing up was very different than other children whose parents that were in the military. The kids that were waiting for their parent to get back from deployment and getting to have that celebration and excitement of seeing your parent for the first time in months, it didn't happen for me. I never got to see me dad again. The military was there for us immediately with support. Almost 21 years lately, the military still gives us endless support. I grew up having so much appreciation for those who serve our country. The sacrifices made to support our country as a whole and protect us. It gave me more insight than the average child. I grew up very proud of the military and all that they do. I would bring pictures of my father to school and show everyone photos of my dad in his uniform and tell them my story. I would light up with excitement any time military would be brought up in a conversation cause it gave me the opportunity to let my fathers memory live on. It brought me comfort in ways on someone who has lost a parent killed in action would understand. Comfort in which you can praise and honor a hero and that hero being your own parent. The military continued to be a big part of my life when my brother entered the Air Force when I was in high school in honor of my father. As I hope to enter as an officer in the airfare once I complete a bachelor degree. The military is something I have known my whole life. I hope to continue it being a big part of my life in the future. It truly has made me who I am today and has always been there for me. It has brought friends that have turned into family. The military has taken care of my family when it was needed most.