A personal loss

About 12 years ago I was a worker in a day care. I used to run the after school program. There was this boy, one blue eye and one brown eye that would cause trouble in school. He and I met and sized each other up. He didn't pull the crap with me that he pulled in school. (His mother recently told me I was Philip's first crush) I was the only teacher that Philip would listen to. I stayed at the day care for a few more years and I saw Philip go off to middle school. I occasionally ran into his Mom and Dad, and I would get updates on Philip. Last summer Philip signed up for the Marine Corp. Considering how I feel about this war and this administration, I asked Philip if it was the best idea to sign up now.

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Right after boot camp Philip came back, in my mind's eye, he was still that 8 year old boy. He was a man-child. He said that he felt that joining the Marines would teach him discipline. I asked him to reconsider. He said he "had to do this."  Well Philip will be coming back in a body bag today. His name will be added to the 3000 that have already been lost in this illegal, immoral, unnecessary war. I am having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that he is gone. I still see him as an adorable incorrigible 8 year old boy. I know I saw him out as an 18 year old. I even bought him and his family a round. Now we can never know what he could have become. His life was ended at 19. We need to call this administration to task. Philip cannot have died in vain. The assholes that manufactured this war need to be frog marched. Our country has lost standing in the world, billions of dollars, and now a great kid. The war that never should have begun is destroying us. I am sitting here with my eyes overflowing with tears because he was just a baby. Please hold his Mom and Dad in your thoughts.