Proud and scared all at once

If I knew, even a short while back, that three Canadian soldiers would die in Afghanistan this week, I probably would have locked my son in a closet and prevented his enlisting with the Canadian military. But who could see that coming? So, on Wednesday, as a heightened sense of dread washed over me, Paul Joseph Rellinger, one hand raised and the other on
the Bible, pledged allegiance to the Queen at a north Toronto recruiting centre and was transformed into a private. With some 30 recruits sworn in, it would have been nice if HRH made an appearance but a framed photo had to do. Mixed feelings rule the day right now. The wife and I are proud to see junior, his chest still shrapnel-free and bursting forth, make a commitment to defend the same oh so Canadian values his grandfather, my dad, fought to maintain 60-plus years ago. But he is our son, our first child, and the thought that he may very well head overseas makes us shudder. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Unlike the bridges he'll cross, it won't be mined to maim and/or kill. What was an eye-opener Wednesday was the diversity of his fellow recruits. At 24, our son is relatively old in comparison to his infantry-bound mates. But many were much older. One, entering the forces to serve as a dental hygienist, is easily in her 40s. I was left only guessing at what motivates one to leave the relative safety and certainty of civilian life to slug it out in basic training before possibly serving in a war zone. Say what you want about Canada's involvement in Afghanistan and other global hot spots but don't, ever, devalue the motivations of those who choose to serve. For each, whatever their drive, the decision to serve in the forces isn't taken lightly. It's a decision to be respected in every sense of the word. This week, more than at any time previous, we're scared for our son's well-being. But there's something else that helps dilute that fear. We have never been prouder of him.