I Wanted to Write About Ethan

...but I'm not sure how to do his life and service justice.

A family of friends of mine lost their son, brother and uncle, Ethan Hardin, in Afghanistan on Friday. I didn't know him as well as other members of his family, but I'd interacted with him on several occasions. He always seemed quiet to me, especially compared to other members of his family. He was extremely kind. I know that sounds like a small word, and it seems like it right now as I use it to describe him, but it's not a word I throw around. Trust me, kindness is not overrated.

What struck me about Ethan in life was the respect he garnered from his group of friends. He attended a small Christian school and was part of a small, but very close-knit graduating class. They were just kids when I met most of them... 14 years old or a little younger, but they were a great group of kids to know. I even substituted for their classes from time to time and may have coached some of the girls in softball. His reputation with that group spoke for itself. And that reputation was sterling. I moved away not long after that group graduated from high school, but have kept tabs on them through older siblings and facebook.

I work in politics and opinions about the war(s) and the military run the gamut. It's easy to forget that real people are involved, not just policy. I don't mind saying publicly that I have the highest level of respect for those who volunteer to serve in the U.S. military. They are braver than I will ever be and I applaud them for their service. And that's not enough.

Like I said, I really can't write anything that would do his life and service justice. I'm proud, grieved and angry all at the same time and I know his family is feeling those things on an even deeper level than I can imagine.

Ethan gave his "last full measure of devotion" for a country and people he believed in and for that I will forever be grateful on a level I can't find the words to describe. I'm also comforted to know he's now in a place where there is no war or pain and look forward to the time when I can thank him myself.

My prayers are with his family right now and with the families of those I will never meet.

Photo swiped from Olivia Yates' facebook.