Annie Fawley & Captain Darrell Fawley
I recently received a letter from Captain Darrell Fawley. His mom, Annie is the author of the story “Team Fawley” in Love You More Than You Know. His words are poignant as he describes having a hard time making it through reading his Mom’s essay.
Captain Darell also thinks a volume of stories from soldiers going to war telling what it is like to leave their families behind would be important. He writes, “Regardless, I want to thank you for recognizing the struggle that mothers go through. The message should be that they sacrifice so much and live in such uncertainty for something they never signed on for and yet they are steadfast because the bond between mother and child is so great.”Captain Darell says he knows his parents are proud of him and what he does. “I never lose sight of what they’ve done for me or would do for me.”
Besides running marathons like his mom, Captain Fawley also is a writer like his mom. This poem was written in the Spring of 2007 in Iraq.
The Families in the Dark
“Our families have it worse than us,”
a bright young soldier once said.
“They never know where we are,
If we’re alive or if we’re dead.
They cling to phone calls and letters,
That are all too often rare.
Our lives may be laden with danger,
But at least we know we’re still there.
And as the pitch invades the evening sky,
Uncertainty plays devilish tricks on their minds
And they worry a flowing well
Wishing they could fast forward time.
But when we hear the dawn’s prayer,
We know we made it through the night.
And no matter how many grains have fallen,
In the moment we know we’re all right.
We don’t know what it’s like,
To fear what the news will say.
We don’t stare at empty seats
During every meal of every day.
And when the Reaper is calling on us,
We’re trained in the way to the light.
But no one prepares the family
To deal with the dark nights.
So we may have to lug around the Beast
But knowledge is a powerful arm
Without it my kin cries at night
Because they don’t know I’m free from harm.”
Captain Darrell Fawley, we are proud of you and thank you for your service and your words. If any troops out there would like to write about their experience of leaving for war and leaving their families behind, drop me a note. God bless you all for protecting us and serving our country.
Love You More Than You Know 