Chapter+7

Chapter 7 The first summer we moved to the city my parents told me I should join a basketball league. They said I would meet some more kids in the neighborhood this way. I became really good friends with a kid named Sam. Most kid’s families came to the basketball games. Some would BBQ where we play or set up near the picnic tables and hang out. I often wondered why Sam’s dad wasn’t around until he came to a game half way through the summer. One day when I was hanging out with Sam I got that answer. Sam’s dad joined the military when he was eighteen years old. He was a native New Yorker and thought it would be a good idea to join the Army. He knew he could get training and money for school, so he was in. He finished with **active duty** after four years and then joined the **Army Reserve.** His dad decided to make a career out of the military, and would only have to be on active duty again if something terrible happened. Little did he know this would occur some years later. After Sam’s dad was out of the army he married his mom and they had Sam and his two younger brothers. They were a really close family, always going to Coney Island or the beach together. Sam’s parents were very involved at school and he and his brothers played together very well. After September 11th, Sam’s dad’s unit was **activated** to go to war. War was something they never thought of until after the attacks. President Bush sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, his dad would be going to Iraq. In early January of this year Sam’s dad left with his **platoon** to join **Operation Iraqi Freedom**. Sam’s family was very scared. They had no idea what would happen to their dad. They heard scary things about the war and hoped their dad would be safe. Before he left he told them no matter what they have to keep their family close and help other families with a parent at war. Everyone needs to stick together to get through this tough time. Every night Sam had nightmares about something terrible happening to his dad. He read the newspaper everyday and heard of how many soldiers were killed or injured. He wished every night that his dad would come back safe and everyone else fighting in this war. He couldn’t imagine his dad coming home and losing an arm or a leg. Who would be practice basketball with? How would his family survive if his dad couldn’t work? Would he have to teach his younger brothers how to be just like their dad would want them to be if he didn’t come back? So many thoughts ran through his head. Some days he could barely concentrate in school, because all he thought about was what his dad was doing or if he was ok. While his dad was gone he quickly took on the role of big brother and father to his younger brothers. His mom was busy working and could only do so much. Some nights Sam helped his brothers with their homework or would walk them home from school in the afternoon. They began to look up to him even more during this time.