A Generation of Heroes

This is a picture of my son Nick with his fellow aircrew members from a couple of years ago. That's Nick on the left. All of these young people...heroes every one. I came across this picture when I was looking for some of the military pictures for the previous post and every time I see this, I have to pause and reflect on how brave these individuals are...and how they don't see themselves that way. As Nick's mother, I have to say I am oh so proud of his spirit and his heart and yet I am terrified because of them. They are what give him the courage to do his job, a job that sometimes involves our country's enemies firing upon the aircraft he's flying in. And that is almost too much for any mother to think of on any given day because these are our babies, our sons, our daughters, our precious children. And perversely, they are the ones keeping us safe with their bravery. It boggles the mind.
Nicholas, you are my definition of a hero (yeah, that smart mouth of yours notwithstanding...you are a hero, son.) And I love you.