Today you have heard people describe who your father was and what he meant to
them. At this moment you are too young to fully comprehend what these men were
talking about, but you know that your father isn’t around anymore. You realize
something is missing in your life, something that means a lot and you are
probably having trouble telling everyone what is missing. As you get older and
can understand what these Marines said today you will begin asking the
questions your teachers say are important; Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?
There are concrete details in the official reports of your father’s death that
will answer the What, When and Where. We are recording this service today to
help you answer Who your dad was. That leaves the two most difficult questions;
Why and How?
All of us in this room have asked the question why did Kevin
die? Why were you on that road at that exact moment? Why did we lose such a
young, outstanding Marine with a bright future ahead? Asking is how we try and
make sense of tragedy. Those who were close to Kevin will ask that question
many times over the course of their life. And I am here to say that we will
probably never know the answer to that question in our lifetime. So,
please don’t get frustrated if you don’t find a satisfactory answer to why your
dad isn’t here anymore. Despite what people may try and tell you, I’m here to
say there isn’t a good answer. I don’t have one either, so I’m not going to
stand here and fill your head with theories and speculation.
So, let’s focus on the last question, the how. And not how
did Kevin die, but how do we live out his legacy? How do we honor Corporal
Kevin Dabrowski as we go forward with our lives? One place to start is to
embrace the positive characteristics of his life that made a profound impact on
the lives of others. Your mother, your grandparents and those Marines here can
help you learn more about what a difference he made in their lives. Listen to
the stories they tell of him, stories of practical jokes he played on his
fellow Marines, stories of his dedication to spend time with you despite the
challenge of distance and time.
These are all stories of how to live a life that honors your
father. Not all of those stories will make sense. Many will not have a clear
lesson when you first hear them. But, collect and treasure those stories
because as you hear more and piece them together you will learn how to honor
your father. From these stories you will learn how to live a life of dedication
to others, caring for those whom you lead, living a life of joy. Whenever you
get stuck trying to answer the question of why your dad isn’t here, remember
the stories of you father and focus on how to live a life that honors him.
Over
the past few weeks, this event has helped me to see a deeper meaning to the
song “Awake My Soul” written by Mumford and Sons. The lyrics include, “Now my
heart stumbles on things I don’t know…Lend me your hand and we’ll conquer them
all…In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. Where you invest
your love, you invest your life.” Don’t let your heart stumble on the why,
death happens to us all. Grab the hands of the Marines around you, they stand
ready to help you conquer every challenge you may face. Your father invested
his love in you and the Marines here today. They want to honor Kevin’s life
through investing their love in your life. Just like this song, your father’s
investment in love will pay dividends in many lives for decades to come.
Rest easy Marine, we have the watch!
