STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of CPL James Foster, U.S. Marine Corps (1973-1977)

I guess it started back when I was around 9 or 10. My dad showed me pics of him when he was in the army, stationed in the Azores. He told me about his experiences, and I was like, “Wow!”. I started playing with these little, plastic army men on the front lawn in the grass, acting out battles and everything. I even began drawing pics of bombs exploding and things like that. One time in class, a teacher caught me…but I won’t go into that.

A few years later, while I was in high school, a friend I knew went into the Marine Corps while another completed his Vietnam tour and left the Marines. I guess he found out that I wanted to enlist, probably through one of my brothers who also knew him. He came over to the house, and we talked awhile. We all attended the same high school, so I enlisted in the Marines. They put me on a 120 or 180-day delay program to give me time because I was still in high school.

I did run into some opposition to my decision to enlist in the Marines. First, my Mom wasn’t too crazy about the idea. Secondly, after graduation from high school, two of my classmates came over and said, “Jim, you don’t have to do this. You can come with us to college.” And third, remember the guy who completed his tour in Vietnam, got out, and we talked? Well, I can still remember his question, “Jim, why?…why?”

Because I wanted to.

The United States Marine Corps already established the path that I took. There was only one time that I made a decision to change that, but I”‘ll get to that later.

First, boot camp at MCRD, San Diego, CA. Next, ITS, Camp Pendleton, CA, where I received my mos 0331 – machine gunner certificate. Then, I attended sea school at MCRD, San Diego, CA, where I received my sea duty indoctrination certificate. By the way, this is a good time to bring this up. The certificate they gave me has my mos being 0311. They knew about this, but nothing could be done. Normally, I would post all my certificates in my profile, but some have my SSN on them, so I didn’t post these.

Anyway, after sea school, I reported to the marine detachment, USS Constellation. When my two years with the detachment were getting short, I knew I had to decide. Either stay or be reassigned. My primary concern was that my c/o and I were not communicating very well during this time. The “knot” was pulled so tight at one meeting that we couldn’t untie it. The c/o – n.c.o. the relationship that we once had was completely shattered after that one meeting. This meeting was the cherry on top of my cake that day. We just were not on the same page with a certain issue. Yes, one issue, and it got very ugly, almost unprofessional at moments. He wasn’t going to budge, and I wasn’t going to budge either. I wish we had worked this out, but we couldn’t. There was no animosity at the end of our meetings, but only an unresolved issue remained. The talks that my c/o and I had after that meeting became more understanding and more positive.

The next concern I brought up to my c/o was significant to my leaving or staying on the USS Constellation. There seemed to be a question concerning my contract with the United States Marine Corps. My contract must have had a clause in it concerning my obligations as a mos 0331, which I agreed to and signed. The United States Marine Corps outlined my first two years aboard the ship, so I was okay there. My remaining time in the service aboard the ship was not outlined. If I stayed aboard, this might have been in direct conflict with my contract.

Other than that, there was a good side also. I was telling the c/o and SgtMaj about my past, etc., and even making jokes on more than one occasion that no one knew about except us three. One time, I was laughing so hard that I was leaning over the side of my chair in front of his desk, and my eyes were watering. This joke was spontaneous, and it came to me while we were talking. I called it me / Mei joke, where Mei was an imaginary name. This ran on, and I’m not kidding, for about fifteen minutes. Finally, my c/o had it with this and said, “I don’t want to hear anything more about Mei.” I then said, “Sir, I wasn’t talking about you; I was talking about me.” He turned away, then looked back and just pointed at me, saying nothing. He then looked at the SgtMaj, nodded smiling, and said to him, “No…it was good…it was good”. Another time, I told a joke, and they believed it to be real until the end, and then they got it. Once again, it was spontaneous. The c/o and I were just talking, and I said to him, “You know, that reminds me of what my Granny used to say to me when I was a kid. She used to say to me, “Jimmy, you got to learn how to give, and you got to keep on giving. Youuuu got to keep on giving until it HURTS!”. I was surprised by both of them on that one. I even put my hand over my heart, looking up to the ceiling to make it more believable. That one got the SgtMaj even smiling. Yes, this was a rip-off from the movie Support Your Local Gunfighter, but I pulled it off. They both liked it, and this opened the door to more constructive talks.

The bottom line? Things are not always as they may appear. As a whole, the marines in the detachment were good, not perfect, but good. I only had some reservations concerning four of them. That being said, I told the c/o that I wished him and all the marines in the detachment the best, and I meant it. My secondary concern was that I knew I wanted to work in a better, more open environment. This went without saying because working on the ship was just too cramped for me. The third concern was that I didn’t know too much about Camp Pendleton except for my schooling there. This was a big one for me because there’s not a lot to go on to make any kind of rational decision. I knew very well that I was taking a risk now, but I decided to be reassigned anyway.

On my last day aboard the ship, I was in the NCO cube packing my things. I then received my orders, and I couldn’t have been happier. The c/o, SgtMaj, and I got what we wanted. Now, that’s what I call triangular diplomacy. This was the only time in the Marines that I changed my path.

I was reassigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st MarDiv, weapons platoon, 1st squad leader at Camp Margarita, Camp Pendleton, CA. We used to call it “Margaritaville.” I do regret, though, not taking any pictures there, and I wish I had. It just wasn’t on my mind, and the rest is history.

My reason for leaving? Simple, I wanted a change. That would mean changing my MOS and starting over. This was just too risky, so I decided to leave.

I participated in the operation (WESTPAC) cruise of ’74. This operation started in January 1974 and ended in December 1974. After I graduated from Sea School on July 3, I reported to the USS Constellation MarDet of that year. Our “home” port was at Subic Bay, Philippines. From there, we visited other ports like Singapore and Hong Kong, cruising the Persian Gulf, and finally, Karachi, Pakistan. Karachi is a city in west Pakistan on the Arabian Sea and was our last stop of the operation.

When the USS Constellation was in dry dock in Bremerton, WA, a situation did happen that threatened not only my life but also the life of a sailor. I was a lance corporal at the time and was asked by another lance corporal if I wanted to party with them. I was on my rack and wasn’t doing anything, so I said okay. There were three marines and two sailors at this “party,” and this is where it all started.

All of us got into this van, which belonged to the lance corporal who asked me to come. I think we picked up the two sailors at another location. I can’t remember, but it must have happened that way. Anyway, It was evening now, and we ended up in the middle of this forest on a mountain called Green Mountain, miles away from anyone. We all got out of the van and continued talking, drinking, partying, etc. It was just a typical party at this time. After a while, it got dark, and I started hearing some commotion between the two sailors who were standing away from us. Things started getting way out of hand now. The one sailor who was obviously doing the aggravation to the other sailor started insulting him, etc. It was total humiliation, and I knew where this was going.

The sailor broke free and ran into the forest. I ran after him and stopped him. I told him to return to the ship to tell someone what was happening here. I’ll take care of these guys. He told me that he doesn’t run, and I said you’re not running! He started walking back to the group, and I remember thinking, “This is it,” and walked behind him. When we got back to the group, it started all over again. I remember him telling the other sailor, “You better kill me or …” I can’t remember how he finished what he said, but I do remember his first words. This was when the other sailor broke his nose. It gets worse.

One of the marines then picked up a rock and was looking at the sailor. This had to stop. So I shielded the sailor with my body by getting in between the sailor and the marine with a rock. I told the marine, “Put down that rock!” he wouldn’t. I told him again, “Put down that rock now!” he still wouldn’t. I then told him, “You’re going to have to use that rock on me before you use it on him!” He then put the rock down. After that, the other sailor started acting up again. The other marine also tried to stop this sailor but couldn’t. This sailor has gone completely mad at this point. There was a lot of yelling and threatening from that one sailor, but it finally stopped. We all got back into the van and went back. I also remember a cop pulling the van over because the driver was weaving in the road. So that’s what happened that night.

The next morning, the CO of the marine detachment ordered everyone who wasn’t on duty to the flight deck. There, the sailor showed our c/o who was involved in that “party.” Obviously, I was included, and we were dismissed and then returned to the detachment. As time went on, the whole atmosphere in the detachment changed. The investigation had already started, and statements were being taken, but I wasn’t asked to give any statement. I was ordered not to talk to the other two marines. One of the marines came up to me, asking me to let them know that he did try to stop it. I told him, “I was ordered not to talk to you.” At this point, I wasn’t sitting too well with some of the marines because of the order given to me. There was a trial for the two marines, but I wasn’t called in. They had to do something like six months. Now, the pressure on me was getting worse from some of the other marines. The c/o of the marine detachment called me into his office and told me, “You know, you could have been killed.” I responded, “But I wasn’t.”

It was really a toss-up, but leaning more towards I 3/5. I 3/5 would surpass the MarDet overall, maybe by 60/40. This is because at I 3/5, the environment had more open space, giving me more freedom or “elbow room”. Privacy was another big factor that I liked in that I felt more comfortable sleeping, reading, playing music, etc., and didn’t feel cramped. At I 3/5, there were no alarms going off either, which is another big plus. I looked forward to running in the hills just outside of Camp Margarita when I had some time off. I did this quite often.

Another aspect that I liked about I 3/5, and maybe the most important, was how the c/o and x/o would communicate with their n.c.o.’s. Both my c/o’s, in the MarDet and at I 3/5, were professional, but only in their own way. At I 3/5 I felt more positive and more confident in performing my duties. I knew this was because of what happened at Green Mountain when I was with the MarDet. That’s where I lost confidence, and I had to get that “spark” back that I once had. I also learned at I 3/5 was to stay “hungry” by keeping yourself motivated. After two years in the MarDet, I noticed I was losing my motivation. If you get too comfortable, negative things could happen, and motivation decreases. Your squad will sense this, and their morale will drop. As a corporal at the MarDet, I only had about 12 months of experience, and that’s not a lot to work with. For me, it was a constant learning process and putting it into effect more positively. This being said, there was also a negative side to I 3/5. If I remember correctly, there were two times that I got myself into trouble. Each time, my c/o could have had my head on a platter, but he didn’t.

Nearing the end at I 3/5, I think the company office knew I was planning to leave the Marines. My x/o, a few yards behind me, saw me walking to the mess hall one day and yelled, “Green Mountain!” Those words ripped right through me, and obviously, he read my file. When I turned around, he asked, “What are you going to do?” I just shook my head. I think he wanted to talk to me about staying in…but I don’t know for sure. I do know this for sure; things would have been much different. I just couldn’t shake the mountain off.

Least favorite? It has to be the MarDet aboard the USS Constellation. The working conditions there were just too restrained, and I was still trying to deal with the mountain situation in my head. Trying to make sense out of something that doesn’t make sense takes quite a Herculean effort. My c/o and I talked about this a great deal. He finally told me, “You got to let this go.” My answer is, “I can’t.” Next came my contract obligations, which I never got word about. But on a positive note, another one of my fondest memories was still with the MarDet when I was a lance corporal. I bought my 1st car. It was a Ford Cobra Jet, and it was fast! I had a brand new Holley double barrel duel pump carburetor installed, added the US brushed aluminum wheels, and some smaller things are done to it. I was thinking about a Hurst shifter but didn’t have it done. Some of the guys in the MarDet talked about it one morning and wanted me to race against SSgt DeLays’ Nova, and he was hearing this. We didn’t street race, but it was something to hear. Ironic. Both my best times and my worst times were aboard the USS Constellation.

I can’t remember a day I haven’t reflected back. It’s like a montage.

My best memory was when I was in the MarDet. I used to go to the sponson when we were at sea. I liked watching the sunrises and sunsets depending on the ship’s position. It was relaxing for me and gave me time to recharge my batteries. I made the time either before or after mess hall. One time, I was looking at the ship cutting through the water and the wake it was making. I remember saying, “I’ll always remember this moment.” I was right…I still do.

I do not know why I reflect on this, but sometimes it comes up. It was the first time I went up for Corporal in the MarDet. I remember answering my questions correctly without any doubt, and it went perfectly. But I concluded by saying, “Sir, this isn’t the time. There will be another time”. Risky? Very risky. I was counting on the c/o to see outside of the box, and he did. I told him that because I was still sorting out the mountain in my head, and I was still very uncomfortable with it. The second time I went up for corporal went even smoother than the first, and I took it. As I see it today, what I told my c/o was stupid. I should have taken the first round then sort the mountain out later. It worked out, but I left myself vulnerable there. Maybe this is why I reflect on it.

Another would be when I was at I 3/5. We were in Bridgeport, CA, on maneuvers, and it was very cold. Why would I want to reflect on that? Everyone, including myself, was freezing and couldn’t help but show it. Now, when I’m outside and it’s cold, it sometimes brings back those very memories of when I was in Bridgeport.

Another kind of reflection that I have is one that happens to me almost every day. Before I joined the Marines, I never checked everything twice. Now, whenever I use the stove, lock all the doors, etc. I check these things twice. I had to have picked this habit up when I was in the Marines.

The other things I reflect on are just simple ones all related to the senses, like sounds, tone of voice, how I receive and react to certain stimuli, etc. Each one, sometimes, triggers a past memory of when I was in the military.

Most of my professional achievements that I’m most proud of stemmed from working with other marines as a group.

The first has to be when my platoon #2120 took drill at MCRD, San Diego. We spent countless hours on the parade deck in the sun, trying to get each movement down. As time passed, we started becoming more confident with ourselves and more refined. This made me feel good in that we became “one machine” now. Not to brag, but we were the best, and we knew it.

Next, the MarDet did some repelling. This one was doubled barreled, though, in that not only was it an achievement that I’m proud of, it was also a lesson in facing my fears. I remember standing on this rock cliff, waiting for my turn to jump off. The cliff wasn’t that high, maybe 30 or 40 feet, but it was high enough. When it came to my turn, I walked to the edge, got hooked up, and faced backward. I looked at the staff sergeant who was up there, with an expression on my face like, you got to be kidding. He gave me an expression back on his face like, just do it. I looked down at my boots and thought, okay, I have to…there’s no getting out of this. I jumped backward off the edge and put on the break. I landed with both my feet on the face of the cliff. This was a big relief. I then started walking down the face of the cliff and made it safely to the bottom.

The most meaningful has to be my honorable discharge certificate. I have it on my wall, along with my other achievements. Just as it is stated, it is a “testimonial of honest and faithful service.” This says it all.

GySgt. G. I. Piceno: he was one of my D.I.’s at M.C.R.D. San Diego, Plt. #2120. He was stern but fair. These are two qualities I look for in an authoritative figure. By still teaching us discipline, he gave me, through all my shortcomings, that sense that I could do anything required. I don’t know how he pulled that one out of the hat, but he did. I’ll never forget it.

Next would have to be Captain Clark, CO of the MarDet on the USS Constellation. We didn’t always agree, but he taught me a very important lesson: the transition from lance corporal to corporal. He recognized that I had the potential, but it wasn’t coming through the way he wanted it. He called me into his office and told me that I had to remove myself more from the non-rates. I told him, okay, I will. Apparently, it wasn’t good enough, so he called me into his office again. He made his point again but more directly. When I was dismissed, I remember thinking. “Okay, I’m going to have to cut the non-rates off completely.” So I did, and I found out that it wasn’t as hard as I had thought it would be. About one or two months before I left the ship, we were talking in his office, and I remember saying, “That’s the one thing that you gave me that I’ll be taking with me when I leave the ship; thank you.” I also said, “There’s one thing that bothers me”. He asked, “What’s that?” and I said, “I’m starting to like it.”

The MarDet and I 3/5:

Corporal Grace – COG, We used to play Monopoly and not too much more, but I always considered him to be a friend. Corporal Martinez – COG, On leave, took me to the house he grew up in. We left the ship together, along with Corporal Weber. Corporal Murphy – Worked in the Brig; he couldn’t believe his eyes when I picked up another marine and threw him on the ground. It was all in fun. Lance Corporal Frye – ACG Partied together. Once, he put his cigarette ashes in my Coke, and I drank it. Corporal Mattingly – I worked in the Brig. Sorry about the belt. Lance Corporal McGuire Partied together. Lance Corporal Smith – We used to bar-hop in the Philippines, and they initiated me on my first day on the ship. Lance Corporal Morris – He use to call me “Foster boooot” for about a year. We used to bar hop in the Philippines, and it also initiated me on my first day on the ship: Corporal Weber – COG, Cool guy. I have known him since Sea School. He’s another Corporal I left the ship with. Lance Corporal Wilson – He took this picture. We rode in my Ford Cobra Jet, and he was surprised at how fast it was. We changed seats, and he stomped on it, too. Unbelievable! I also partied with him. Lance Corporal Becker – Thanks for the tour on I 3/5; I liked it. I invited him to stay the night at my Mom’s house so we could go to Saddleback Park in Irvine, watch me race motocross, and pick up my 3rd place trophy from the week prior. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone with my Mom again. Lance Corporal Powers – I can still hear him singing that song, “Margaritaville.” Don’t give up your day job. Lance Corporal Stevens – Invited me to my celebration party after I left the United States Marine Corps. If I left anyone out, it was unintentional.

Any one of these Marines can contact me.

Here’s one:

This was in boot camp. Keep in mind my platoon 2120 took drill. We were coming out of the mess hall and got into formation when one of our DIs, Sgt. Jackson, came out and told us when GySgt. Piceno tells us to do the right face, don’t do it. Instead, I want you to do a left face. Well, GySgt. Piceno came out and ordered right face. Most of us did the left face; worst yet, some didn’t do anything…a total mess. I turned my head a little and saw the expression on GySgt. Piceno’s face. He was shocked, not to mention speechless, with his arms wide open. He went to the recruit carrying the guide on, still speechless, then centered himself in front of the formation finally, Sgt. Jackson came up and told GySgt. Piceno that he told us to do this. When they were done talking, he ordered us to do an about-face. This didn’t work either because some of us didn’t do the left face. Finally, he just pointed for everybody to go in that direction. Yeah, we were the best at drill at MCRD, San Diego, that day.

When I left the Marines, I got a job as a security guard, you know, a “rent a cop.” It was with Greater LA Patrol, and I had to take a class in Powers of Arrest 1 & 2 in order to get my guard card. When that was completed, they sent me out to various locations in LA. This got me by, but I wanted to go into architecture as a CADD systems operator, preferably in the residential field. I already had good training in manual drafting in architecture when I attended my high school, Don Bosco Technical Institute. I knew that this is what I wanted to do, so I started sending out resumes to different companies. This took a long time, and I had many interviews and many disappointments. One interviewer ended by saying, “We don’t have any position openings for a machine gunner…or wait, maybe we do”. At another interview, I was asked if he could have my DD-214. I was starting to get demotivated, and then I got the call.

Raygal Design Assoc., in Irvine, interviewed and hired me as a junior draftsman. This company was primarily focused on designing Fuddruckers and Pizza Hut restaurants. I revised equipment, plumbing, electrical, and refrigeration plans using what was called “system drafting.” This type of system allowed me to place other drawings over a base sheet, which were all on mylar, to make one composite drawing. This company got my foot in the door, but it wasn’t what I was after, and I used it as a stepping stone. During this time, I enrolled at Control Data Institute in Anaheim, where I was taught computer languages like Fortran, Cobol, OSVSJCL, operating system virtual storage job control language, etc. I graduated and received my Associate of Science in Data Processing degree on April 2, 1984. I started sending out more resumes for a better position.

DeStijl Group Architects in Long Beach picked me up as an intermediate draftsman. Here, I drafted ground-ups for single-family residential track homes, basically in the San Luis Obispo area. These were complete sets of plans under the direct supervision of the principal architect. I also did some local existing residential remodels, which included the demolition plans and taking field dimensions. We did commercial renovation projects, like the Hertz Turnaround Facility and the Subaru Technical Center. I just picked up the architect’s red marks on these projects and drafted them onto the originals. I learned a lot with this company, even what to look for when general contractors bid on a project.

I took a vacation and went to Hawaii on the island of Oahu. I liked it so much that I even talked to an architect there concerning working for him. He must have had an ad in the paper, but I can’t remember. What did I have to lose? No three-piece suits or any show-and-tell stuff…just me. He interviewed me and gave me the position of intermediate / AutoCad operator. I’ve also discovered that he was a licensed architect and a licensed structural engineer. I remember the pay was much higher than I was getting on the mainland.

Of course, the cost of living there was much higher. I asked him to give me something like three weeks for me to make arrangements. He agreed, and I accepted. The company was called Peter Hsi & Assoc. I did both manual and CAD assignments concurrently. The projects that I worked on were McKinley High School and the Kahului Airport Fire Station. These were the main ones. I saved up some money, so I started thinking about starting my own business, and I did.

I started Paradise Drafting Services. Many businesses on Oahu start their names using “Paradise,” so I followed suit. I contracted out as an independent and concentrated mainly on working with architects. Most of my work was with Allen Ng & Assoc. There, I did only manual drafting on various projects. My first lesson in business was that I had to have a steady client just to keep me in the black. It took quite a while before I started seeing any profits. I picked up four other projects working with Certified Management, Inc. Each project was to relocate an existing sliding glass door/wall five feet out onto an existing lanai. This increased the sq. footage of the livable area of the apartment, thus increasing its value. This is when I decided to buy my own CAD system, so I chose VersaCad. Since all the apartments were designed the same way, all I had to do was draw it once on the computer and make any changes in a little time. I stayed in Hawaii for about two and a half years and moved to Truckee, California.

When I moved to Truckee, one of the first things I did was make contact with Truckee Tahoe Homes. I spoke with the general contractor there and told him about PDS. He had plenty of work for me. Like with Allen Ng & Assoc. in Hawaii, the drafting had to be done manually. I made a blueline set of almost every home I did for him. Now there are these tubes in my TV. Room. Once, he wanted me to survey a lot but only by sight, and I told him I already had a transit. It was only a “straight shooter” since it didn’t show degrees, but it’s better than “eyeballing” it. I needed Paul to hold the stick, and it worked. He also gave me some smaller projects, like room additions, that would be my own and not his. There’s more, but I think you know what profession I was in after the military.

Right now, I consider myself fortunate enough to just take life easy.

I’m not a member of any military associations, at least for the moment.

The one and most important aspect that I have learned and took with me was discipline. Before I enlisted in the Marines, I was pretty much detail-orientated. I’ll continue answering your question, but first, I want to give you some background.

When I was in high school, my algebra teacher, Mr. Johnson, handed us a test. Before we started, he told us to read the instructions first. It was about 2 1/2 pages long. He repeated, “Read the instructions before you take this test.” I started reading, thinking that I was wasting my time doing this. I could be spending it on the test. I glanced through the instructions and started solving the problems. When the test was over, he called “Time,” and we turned in our papers. He then asked us, “Did you read the instructions?” we all, including me, said “Yes.” Do you want to know what was in the last paragraph of the instructions? “Answer only the even problems only.” I felt like…and said to myself, “This will never happen to me again.” This one went deep, guys. This was my fault, not Mr. Johnson’s. Lesson learned.

Why would I bring this up? It has nothing to do with the United States Marine Corps, or does it? Yes, it does…it has everything to do with the Marine Corps. What I did was I coupled both experiences together, both what I learned in the Marines and my career in architecture. No matter how unnecessary or mundane I may think of it to be at the time.

In architecture, you must be detail-oriented and have a sense of orderliness and efficiency. In other words, you have to have discipline. If you don’t, the projects you submit to the Building Department will come back in your face. Believe me, I know. They will always find something for me to correct and send it back. That goes without saying. But the idea is to keep it minimized. While working with an architect, he returned from the Building Department, opened the door, and threw three sets of rolled-up bluelines clear across his office. Later, he told me he forgot to put in a firewall required by the UBC. This meant redrawing about 90 percent of that project or start over. What he decided to do was to cannibalize whatever could be saved and redraw the rest. We had to get it done “down and dirty” with this project because there was no other way. We worked many hours in just as many days making corrections and got little sleep. When it was finally completed, he told me that I should take a week off, so I did. I drove to some ghost towns, away from everything and everybody, and slept in my car to clear my head. A few months later, we joked about it. The lesson I learned was to get all the facts first.

I want to thank the United States Marine Corps for everything they taught me. I also want to thank my algebra teacher, Mr. Johnson, for teaching me the importance of paying attention to following instructions.

In most cases, I wouldn’t hand out any advice unless they asked me for it. So let’s say they did ask me, and we’ll go on from there.

There’s only one thing they need to know: “Do as you’re told.”

Togetherweserved.com opened up many windows for me that I didn’t know even existed. The first and most obvious is being able to start and update my profile. All the information I put in here will be saved now, not lost, in your database for anyone who wishes to see it, not just for Marines but for all military branches.

TWS woke up with many memories that I have completely forgotten. Some were good, and some were not. This started to make me think about the specifics of each memory, big or small. I wondered if I should have done things differently and how that would affect the outcome. Would this outcome be positive, or would it be negative?

I also found it fun to criticize myself. To be able to look at me from a different perspective many years later. Everyone’s life is so precious, and we’re not here for that long. We all have to pause and be grateful for every momen