What a wonderful story.
This one really hit me hard and was rather difficult for
me. It stirred emotions about my own family and about my father who passed away
much too early on in the life of the youngest of five sons who held up
his father as his personal hero.........
This story of Mrs. Mary Kate Bailey is special and caused
me to really pause. It is moving and inspiring. I would want of my own
daughters to be a combination of their Mom and Mary Kate.
To me, this is a whole story. One that speaks
of: "her mother's unconditional love for the family; a
mother's courage in the face of adversity; a family's commitment to each other;
a husband's service in Vietnam and his sacrifice to country; a father's example of
Faith and worship that inspired his family; a young lady's adoration and
respect towards her parents and her brothers; a young woman's quest for
excellence that was measured in a tenacious and uncompromising dedication to completing
each and every task in a worthy manner; a young Marine Captain who possessed the
passion to lead others in our great Corps; an officer of such high moral
conviction that she would sacrificially subordinate her professional military
success for the greater good of her own family; a dedicated wife and life-partner to her
husband James; a loving and nurturing mother to her daughter.
Yes, this was and is a special story that I am so grateful to
have been able to read. In my mind, Mrs Bailey was and remains a
shining star to our Corps and to me. She most certainly stands tall as a role model
for the youth of today and of tomorrow.
I quite sincerely believe, that I have received far more of the
good Lord's blessings in working with Mrs Bailey than the reverse.
I was humbled by her statement and honored that I
would even remotely come close to being held up as a mentor. I just had no
idea. I am not certain that I am worthy of that standing and to
receive this type of compliment from this high caliber of a person is a level of praise
that exceeds any medal the Marine Corps could every hang on my uniform.
I do know that I remain blessed in where the Lord placed me and
the Lord richly blessed me with Mrs Bailey.
Thank you Meriwether for writing this
story. I know it will inspire so many people out there to include my daughters
when it gets posted. God Bless you and your work.
Respectfully,
Col Abblitt
Unexpected Mentor Praises CorpsStories Marine Mrs. Mary Kate Bailey