I’ve been chronicling the fall color in my yard with varying degrees of success. I take photos to edit later, only to find out that all photos of the same plant are out of focus. The fancy features of Camera+ only go so far in ameliorating the fact I took a bad photo. With the images below, I start out with the best (Greywacke!) and finish with the worst (a sad looking sumac).
Unlike my photos, this narrative begins rather dully and finishes with the best. Alan Hewitt. My friend Brook and her son Casey recently lost a husband and father, respectively. At age 51, in the fall of his life, Alan died of medical complications related to his time as scout sniper in the Marine Corps.
I only met Alan once; we had an interesting conversation about his time in service. Both fragile and conflicted, it was clear that his time in the military had both physical and emotional consequences. I’ve been thinking about him as I watch Ken Burns’ documentary, The War, a heart-wrenching account of Americans who served in WWII and the family members who loved them. Quite simply, war is hell on earth. Yet, the conflicts Alan served in were not so well known, not so celebrated in victory, nor were the people of a nation behind him like they were for the men who served in European and Asian theaters. The world has changed considerably for returning vets.
Alan also had, rather unsurprisingly, extraordinary grit and resilience. A few years ago, he used his Marine training to survive four days and three nights stranded in the woods due to a head injury.
And, this reveals my bias, but Alan had the good sense some years ago to ask Brook Hewitt to dance with him while she tending bar. They later married and had his fifth child, Casey. Amazing how one question can change your life. Brook and Casey are two of many family members who are grieving for his loss. My sympathy is with them all.
CatNISS 