“I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.” Hearing the words of a Soldiers creed recited by my cousin Justin Schmitt made my heart drop to the floor. This was a moment that I will never forget. It was a moment that made me realize how important my family, my values, and my community are to me. I do not see my cousin as my cousin I see him as my big brother and my hero. My cousin became an American Soldier because of the remorseful day when the world became silent.

I remember that day as a third grade student. Sitting in class the teacher turns on the TV and the whole school begins to cry. Smoke billowed out of the tower as the flames licked every morsel it could find. The second tower hit only a few moments later by a second plane. The room became uncomfortably quiet as we watched American citizen’s jump from the burning towers, descending to the cold concrete streets. The teacher quickly turns off the TV and we sat in silence, no one saying a word or looking at each other. Only knowing that millions of American citizen’s were dying right at that very moment. I was too young to understand why this was happening, but I did understand what was happening.

At that time my cousin Justin Schmitt was in eighth grade. Over the next four years he began looking into the Army National Guard. Four years later Justin graduated and enlisted into the military. It was the day that changed my life and my family’s life forever. I remember him specifically saying I” am going to be an American Soldier.” Watching my cousin swear in to be an American Soldier was something that boggled my mind for many years. I wondered why he wants to risk putting his life on the line for those Americans who did not care. I asked myself this many times, but could never find a good enough answer. This really did not hit home for me until two years later when my cousin was sent on active duty over in Iraq. He was sent with his troop the 1133rd Infantry over seas. Watching my cousin get on that plane to go some where dreadful was horrifying. It literally ripped my life in two. This person who was always with us is going to just leave for almost 2 years. How could this happen? This was something that my family and I did not cope with very well. We were so used to having Justin around that our whole world was shattered into a billion pieces.

During this time of Justin being gone my grades began to drop significantly because I was so worried about what could happen or what would happen. I began to communicate less and less with my family because we could not find anything else to talk about or think about except for Justin. My parents were also lost; they did not know where to turn because they had basically raised Justin. I had just become a very meek and depressed person because that very important hero in my life was gone. Justin was in Iraq from 2006 until 2007. Watching my cousin get off that plane to come home for good was the most amazing feeling in the entire world. After he came home everything returned to normal. It took a little while for Justin to adjust to being back home, but we were so happy to see him.

That dreaded dream of Justin leaving again has now become reality. Justin got deployed August 3, 2010 from the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. He was part of the biggest deployment since World War II. Everyone knew that this day was coming soon and it just kind of dwelled on everyone physically and mentally. We sat through the ceremony and cried beyond anyone could ever imagine. But this time was different when he left because we knew what to expect and also he had a new baby that would be on its way soon. Justin is currently in Afghanistan at this very moment and he has a new baby named Mia who we cherish every day. Our family has learned new ways to cope with him being gone. Our Tae Kwon Do group that my Mother and I run has teamed up with an organization in Cedar Falls that collects soldier boxes to be sent over seas. This project is now one of our community service projects each year for our Tae Kwon Do classes. This project is something that helps us feel better about because we can give these soldiers the little things that make them happy. Like simple hygiene tools, or even some goodies once in awhile. My cousin means the world to me and now that he is serving in Afghanistan I try and talk to him everyday and raise the awareness about how important it is to support those who are overseas.

He is a man with an iron fist and a heart of gold. He is more than a family member he is my hero and my big brother. He is the person that I have looked up to my whole entire life. He is the person that I worry about and think about everyday. He is my role model and my soldier. He knows I am proud of him and he knows that I will always be proud. The day that I will tell him I am honored to have an American Soldier in my family is the day that I see the whites of his eyes again.