I'd like to introduce myself, me llamo Mommy: The Soldier has come home

Today’s blog was to be about daiquiris, but driving home I passed Amigone Funeral Home and a much more important topic became obvious. Lining the entrance and street in front of the Funeral Home was an honor guard posting the red, white and blue that represent our freedom. Within the funeral home a young man, 21-years of age, is laid out—a young man who gave his life defending our freedom. A young man with just one month left of his tour in Afghanistan. A young man who left a family behind to mourn.

Timothy Serwinowski is a stranger to me. The only things I know of him I learned from news articles following his death, but that doesn’t make his loss any less significant. Whenever I hear of the loss of a soldier, no matter what age, I am saddened. For those of us from Western New York, this is our second loss in a matter of only a few month.

Facing each death striking so close to my doorstep, I can’t help but remember how lucky I am. How lucky I am that we never got that phone call saying my father wasn’t coming home. How lucky I am that I get to share the stories and experiences of my father’s tour in Iraq. How lucky I am that although my heart would catch when I hear their were more casualties in Iraq over the radio, we never had to plan a funeral.

Today when I think of this young Marine, I am saddened. I can only imagine the loss this family feels. I can only hope that when they look back on their memories of their son they feel a sense of pride that he died defending our country, doing what he fell was right, giving his 100%.

(click to read the Buffalo News article)

There is no better tribute to a fallen soldier that the lyrics presented in the song “The Soldier Has Come Home” by Barry Sadler:

Lay the green sod on me / Carve my name in stone / Lay the green sod on me / The soldier has come home

Don't mourn for me, my darling / Don't cry when I am gone / Don't mourn for me, my darling / The soldier will come home

My friends have gone before me / And laid their tired bodies down / My friends have gone before me / To prepare the resting ground

Let me go to sleep now / To march and fight no more / Let me go to sleep now / I'm tired, my body's sore

So lay the green sod on me / Put the wreath upon my stone / Lay the green sod on me / The soldier has come home / (the soldier has come home)

May God bless this Marine and may he comfort those that were left behind.