Every parent of a service member lives with fear. Mine is sharpened by the calendar. I am not asking that America be weak, only that its strength not be spent settling a personal score. If this war must continue, let it be because the nation's interests demand it, and not because one man cannot bear to lose.

Gavin had chosen an honorable path—and for the right reasons. It is not the one I would have chosen for him, but in the end, that is quite irrelevant. It is his path. And regardless of my fears, it is my job to support and love him.