Last night I went to the calling hours for Matt "Doc" Conte. The 22 year old Navy serviceman that was a former student of mine. He had become a very well respected medic and had served in Afghanistan and most recently Iraq.
Needless to say, it was very emotionally draining. A fellow teacher and I went together. She brought 2 pieces of Matts art work with her, that he had left at our school ,and we presented them to his parents. We could barely speak. They were very appreciative and talked about how our school had turned his life around. Nice to hear and too bad that funding is cut and I was laid off and we are being shut down, but I digress.
The thing that cut me to the core was seeing the flag drapped coffin of this 22 year old young man and full military honor guard and the tattered stuffed animal that had belonged to him as a child sitting beside him. A sad reminder of a young and tragic loss and the children that he will never have to inherit that stuffed animal.
Tomorrow, Saturday, will be the long procession to the church where the final services will take place. I think I will join others that will be lining the streets for the procession. It is going to take me a long time to loose this feeling. More Marines have died this week and I am worried about my girlfriends son. She has not heard from him recently and he is right where all that action is taking place right now.
On a different note, I had an outstanding job interview yesterday and I will wait for them to the background check and may hear in 2 - 3 weeks if I have the job. One cool thing is that they teach you to drive the ambulance. Fun stuff!! Everyone has to take turns in the teams. Awesome. Lights & sirens and a big vehicle. Can't wait.
There is tons of paperwork though. I am starting a new file for myself and man how I hate paperwork. I did not realize how much would be involved. Phone calls and papers and yadda, yadda, yadda. Then do it all over again when it is time to renew in 2 years!!
Off until Tuesday. Plan to do some reading, check out the political scene and watch some of the first 5 years of Saturday Night Live from Netflix.
What about you?
1 comment:
Dharma ,I find it very beautiful and touching that you and your other teacher friend gave Matt's parents some of his old art work....
..it is too bad that funding has been cut to your old school.Local tax payers just don't seem to understand that when Bush cut out federal funding for such schools that the excess monies needed would then have to come locally...
..the reason for this is because of all the 'no new taxes' propaganda...
..the reasons for the 'no new taxes' propaganda is not because,as they say,they are against new taxes,but because if Bush/Cheney and company started spouting 'more taxes' people would start investigating all the corperate tax welfare cheating now going on...
...Halliburton and their like are raping the American tax payers of billions and billions of the tax payers dollars-non-bid-no pentalty over priced governmnet contracts are stealing more $$$ from us the American tax payer then welfare ever could....
...just think how much money could be put make to schools and education from just one Iraqy Halliburton contract...let alone all the moneys being wasted over there on over charges/sub contracting out/not building etc...
..it is a shame..but this carpet bagging money stealing tax payer raping 'IS'the only reason for 'no new taxes.we must not let average Joe tax payer start looking into how much we are milking him out of his hard earned cash...Therefore let him double dip into his wallet to pay locally...
....therefore,local schools,especially the edge schools,helping the most at risk students suffer the most...
...all to fill the pockets of our rich oil baron leaders....
..so when our leaders say;'No New Taxes,' they are really saying,'Pease look the other way why I rape you.'
I am sorry ,Dharma,this is not the proper place to voice my anger...I just couldn't help myself
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