Pfc. Dustin Gross

I started this blog so that I could share the lessons, laughs, and adventures that I have while raising my three sons.  Today was one of those "lessons" kind of days.  Today in our small community, we brought home a true hero who had given his life for this country that we live in. Today, we lined the streets by the thousands with flags in hand and watched as the casket of a 19 year old soldier passed by on its way to the the funeral home where thousands more will visit and give condolences to the family of Dustin Gross.
My wife and I took our kids out of school early so that they could be apart of the tribute to this man and his ultimate sacrifice that he gave. This was one of those moments that I wish that my sons would never have to see but knew that it's important for them to realize that there are people out there that are mean and evil and want to do us harm. But more importantly, I wanted my sons to witness for themselves that there are good, kind, courageous  people that will stand in between us and the enemy, and without regards for themselves tell that evil that they can go only so far. Pfc Gross was one of those people.
I personally didn't know Dustin, but as I stood road side waiting for the processional to come by, I looked around and noticed that I knew his shop teacher from high school. I knew the lady at the county clerks office that had given him his drivers licences. I knew the girl that worked the drive-thru at the local hamburger joint. I realized that Dustin and I had never met but he had impacted all those people around him. That those people that I pass everyday with smiles and small talk, have been impacted by this young man in some form or fashion and that I too have been touched by this young man as well. He has left a small part of himself with each person he came in contact with. I'm sure his sense of humor, or encouraging words to these people will now forever be remembered and that these people are forever changed because of the person he was. And in that same way I am changed too by this young man and his life of service that he lived. And THATS why I took my kids to pay respect to this young man. They need to know that their lives are far more reaching than what they can ever imagine. That their actions will help shape and mold way more people than they think, and that their attitudes and words have lasting repercussions than just the people they speaking with at the time. We all need to learn this lesson.
To me that's what makes this town of ours so very, very special because whether we personally know each other or not, we have in some ways added to or taken away from each others day to day life.
As the motorcade drove by there was a hushed silence. But the voice of Pfc Dustin Gross will be forever heard  in the city of Mt. Sterling.