When 87-year-old veteran Carl connected with Pastor Tony, their mutual military background ignited a heartfelt friendship. In his last months, Carl dedicated himself to commemorating Pastor Tony with an act of heartfelt respect and goodwill.
“This tale of generosity starts a few months prior to my father, Carl, passing away.”
My parents attended church every Sunday for as long as they could. Their minister, Pastor Tony Fields, was a former soldier of the Army, similar to my dad. This immediately created a strong bond of friendship between them.
Pastor Tony often stopped by to see my dad, and regardless of the topic, their discussion would as expected return to their time in the military. During these visits, My family frequently stayed by my dad’s side and one topic he mentioned each time was that Pastor Tony deserves his own Army dress blues.
My father, a senior officer, received his first ever dress blues just five years before he passed away. He was a person who acted for others and hardly ever for himself. Dress blues were a personal investment and a uniform purchased independently; they are not provided by the Army. Dad had retired from the Army years earlier, at his age, the idea of getting dress blues felt impractical.
A long time ago, Dad told me that he wanted dress blues to wear for his funeral. This threw me off a little because I didn’t want to contemplate ever laying my dad to rest. However, it made me ponder.
As you might be alert or not, my parents introduced the Annville Memorial Day Parade, which turned into an important event in our Pennsylvania town. A few months later my chat with my dad regarding his dress blues, my siblings and I agreed to buy him dress blues for Christmas.
We didn’t want them to be used only at his funeral as he had asked.
We faced him there, and there was a small but major issue. Tony was a big man who had started a few months earlier on his own personal health enhancement journey. On that day, the biggest coat they owned but the arms of coat was unfit sad. He also wasn’t able to zip up the coat.
We were uncertain about what to express, but Tony glanced at us and asked, ‘Can we purchase it regardless? “I will enter it.” At that instant, we realized he would. He was resolute.
Two and a half years after buying Tony’s dress blues, I receive a text featuring a picture of Tony in his new uniform. He had lost seventy-five pounds and was still shedding weight, proudly wearing the gift from his parents. Those were some of the greatest tears we ever experienced!
We inquired about meeting him at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, where our parents are interred, so he could join us in visiting them while wearing his new dress blues.
Words fail to capture the emotions we felt when he stepped out of his car in his stunning uniform alongside his wife, Jodie. We strolled to our parents’ gravestones with Tony in the lead, and there he stood before them, giving a salute to our dad. What a time.
Life continues, and I remain here, absorbing wisdom from my parents who have passed away.
What a wonderful expression of love my parents demonstrated, and what an incredible lesson I gained that day. I discovered that the way we lead our lives is a decision we all choose. At that moment, I understood that if fortune smiles upon me, the kindness I aspire to disseminate during my time on earth might eventually be carried on by those I leave behind.
On Veteran’s Day, Sunday Pastor Tony astonished his congregation by donning his new uniform. I requested if I could share a few words that morning, and he agreed. In this process, I recounted our parent’s tale. I recounted Pastor Tony’s tale.
A few family members and friends accompanied us that morning to witness the ‘unveiling’ of a uniform that had transformed into so much more than just a uniform. It had transformed into a symbol of resilience and commitment, yet fundamentally it was a narrative of enduring affection.