heath blackmon

I came from a small town in South Carolina where all blacks were looked at as indifferent or not equal to the majority white race. I remember seeing a white's only sign at a local store in the late 1970's and remember telling myself that I would someday leave this place and never return. In 1985 I graduated from high school and joined the service and never looked back. 27 years later, I now look back at where I once stood and smile at my accomplishments in life. God has blessed me with a forgiving, loving, and understanding wife with healthy beautiful children. My father has passed on and there is not a day that goes by that he does not cross my mind. My mother is still hanging in there at the age of 80 and I can only dream that I will reach that age myself. My siblings and I are not close and as all families do, we fight over past disagreements that should have been settled and forgotten about years ago. I can honestly say that I hated my older brother until recently when I decided that I would send him a letter to say I'm sorry for being an idiot and forgive him for whatever he had done for me to hate him. I wish my other siblings would do the same, for my brother is sick and could die anyday now. Dad, if you are listening or reading this in heaven......I want you to know that I made it. I listened to what you said to me as a child, and even though I made mistakes along the way, I dusted myself off and continued to grow. It took me a little longer to mature and stop doing the things I did that hurt others like my wife. She has stuck with me for 18 years now and was the reason I decided to change. I want you to know that mom misses you as I miss you and I know that we all will be together again playing horse shoes in the yard. Tell grand ma and pa I love and miss them as well. Tell great granddad thank you for paving the way for all of us so that will be treated fairly as a US citizen. In closing: I want to tell all parents across the world, we can make this world a better place, but it starts at home. Stop teaching our children to hate and teach them to love. When was the last time you hugged your children? I will hug mine as soon as I get off of this plane and tell them I Love Them. Love can move mountains and change the fate in which we live. Make a difference today and go out and do something for someone that is in need. Do it because you want to, not because you have to and remember...... God is always watching! US Army First Sergeant