Intro: Witness to the Flame

I was there before the medals, before the boots and the sand, when life was just a map tucked inside a young man’s hand. I loved the boy who dreamed of the world he’d one day see. How lucky am I to love both the boy and the man you would grow to be?

I watched the years temper you, like steel inside the flame, turning a soft-eyed youth into the man who wears your name. A Marine who stood the watch, a brave and true soldier, yet I am the only one who sees the boy still living in you.

I am proud of the miles you have walked, of the honor you have maintained,

Through every storm and distance, the pull of us remained. We always found our way back, a truth so deep and so raw, that it must be the only meant-to-be that I have ever seen.

Beneath the heavy armor of life, you had to lead. You are still the only heart my soul will ever need