Happy Father's Day!

+This story was written and submitted for publication by Joshua Williams as a tribute to his father.

Lt. Colonel Edward Williams

The saying goes, “Women like a man in uniform.” While the meaning of that phrase is more focused on the attraction someone may have over people dressed up, I think seeing a person in uniform can also be influential and motivating. I don’t remember much about my dad’s job in the military when I was younger, but I do remember admiring him when he wore his fatigues, especially when he wore the rolled up sleeves with cuffs cut off at the elbow. I thought they were the coolest uniforms and there was a sense of pride I carried seeing him wear them.

As I got older, being able to actually understand things about his job is what made his position even more admirable. Although I didn’t understand what I was looking at, going into his building and seeing all the radars with little green dots on them, made his job seem even more important. In order to visit, we were first required to show ID to get on base, then routed through a secure building in which we were scanned and documented. For the most part, these procedures appeared normal to me. But I didn’t know at the time it was something I experienced because I was a military child. Being a military child is difficult to discuss. I believe the term has a connotation that many associate with a certain kind of upbringing. My dad seemed to always be around when I needed him, whether it was for homework or games, and he was always a phone call away if he wasn’t home. For some, being a military child meant you spent your childhood moving around every 2-3 years of your life, never really getting to have childhood friends who become lifelong friends, and having to live on base. That was never my case. Because my dad was part of the National Guard and he was able to get a house off base for the majority of my childhood, we lived in Panama City, Florida.

Where I think having a military dad made a difference was my worldview. Because my dad grew up as a military child, he moved around a lot with his Army dad. He was able to experience different cultures, whether they were different cultures here in the U.S., or different cultures around the world. When he entered the military, he also moved around to different places like Oklahoma, Germany and Korea. I think because of his travels, my dad wanted his family to experience the world in ways he had. I’ve been able to travel around the world, including revisiting my birthplace in England.

Joshua Williams and his dad, Edward

While it has been fairly normal for me having a veteran dad, I think there is a different sense of pride I have when I think about him. When we go to large events and they ask our veterans to stand, I’m able to sit next to him, clapping louder than everyone, letting him know that outside of being my dad, I appreciate the sacrifice he, and many others, are willing to make for our Country. And as I type this, maybe that’s something I’m just now realizing. That while my experience with having a veteran father is a story of lost time because of deployment or lost life because of combat, it was an experience full of sacrifice that I just didn’t notice. And I think that is the story of a lot of our veterans. We thank them for their sacrifice, but we don’t really know what those sacrifices are and how much they really do affect the friends, spouses, and children of our men and women in uniform.

DONATE/SUBSCRIBE

Florida's Truth Be Told Inc. is a nonprofit organization, supported by donations. Please subscribe and donate to our cause. You will only receive the same family-friendly news as published on our site. Send your email to lcleveland5@gmail.com. To Donate, make checks or money orders payable to Florida's Truth Be Told, and mail to:

3510 NW 91st St, Unit 154, Gainesville, FL 32606. Thank you.