+ I clearly remember the evening that Zachary shared his dream with me. We were sitting in local restaurant that we frequented often...(read more)

...it was our place, the place we as a family went to chill and enjoy each other and have great conversation. That night, Zachary and I sat at a high top table having an evening of heart centered conversation which is something to be said for a teenage boy and his mom. This was the night that Zachary shared with me his passion, his calling, his dream! To be a U.S. Marine!

He was so excited, so clear, so committed! I, his mother, was in shock! My inner story to myself…”What, my sweet innocent little boy wants to be a Marine, carry a gun and shoot people? How could this be?” Then I realized, my son was sharing with me, his purpose and passion, no matter what it was, I wanted to be supportive of him. Then told myself, he is just a young teen, he’ll change his mind!

Wrong, Zachary carried this passion all through middle school and high school, not only carried it but acted upon it. He followed his heart and became a Marine! I had no idea what this entailed until Zachary accomplished it. He is a Marine, not just any Marine but a Marine who set an example for his platoon and command. A Marine that earned great recognition.

Zachary and I always kept things clear between us, that evening at the restaurant when I felt I wasn’t supporting him had stuck with me. When he was ill and I was helping him on that horrendous journey, I shared with him my experience of that evening. He told me he didn’t even remember my reaction. I was so grateful to have cleared this with him and to know that he hadn’t given it a thought.

This aspect of his journey all became very clear when at his Celebration of Life, his teacher Anna Gonzales shared that when Zach was much younger he had told her he wanted to be a Marine to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. Now it all made sense…my Marine, Zachary Collin Dillehay.

It’s a love story, a special love story about a boy and a girl. The boy and the girl started as friends, the boy was at a point attracted to the girl, but the girl not to the boy. They remained friends. There was a point when the girl was attracted to the boy, but the boy not to the girl. They remained friends. There was a point when the boy and the girl were attracted to each other and they fell in love. The boy and the girl went to school together, the boy played football and was in the band. The girl was on the dance and cheer team. They were good kids and they were in love.
At a point the boy left the school to focus on his goal of being a Marine. The girl remained at the school. The boy and girl were still friends and still in love. The girl was a senior and it was time for prom. The girl wanted to take the boy but had to get special permission as the boy was no longer a student at the school. The girl didn’t expect the answer she received. The boy was not allowed to attend the prom. The boy was good friends with another boy who was asked to leave the school. The school knew these boys were friends and since the boy who was in love with the girl was no longer a student at the school, the school felt they were entitled to not permit the boy to go to prom with the girl. The girl was heartbroken, it was her senior prom and she was in love with the boy. The boy’s mom and the girl’s mom could not believe the boy and the girl could not attend prom together. The boy’s mom and the girl’s mom e-mailed the school, called the school, met with the school administrators separately and together. Other moms of boys and girls offered their support of the boy and girl to attend the prom together. The school said no. The mom of the boy was heartbroken for her boy and the girl. The mom of the girl was heartbroken for her girl and the boy.
The boy told the girl to go to prom without him. The girl said no. The girl said she wouldn’t go to prom. The boy said, you must go to prom. The boy said, I will rent a tux, I will buy you flowers, I will take prom photos with you, I will go to pre prom with you. I will ride with you to the prom, I will walk you to the door and I will wait outside for you and we will then go to after prom together. The girl said ok. The girl’s mom was happier, the boy’s mom was happier the girl was happier. The boy’s mom said she would drive to the prom and have dinner with the boy while he waited for the girl. The boy, the girl, the boy’s mom and the girl’s mom all supported each other and the boy and the girl had as great night despite their circumstances. The boy and the girl set an example for all. The boy followed his heart in pursuing his dream to be a Marine. The boy at one point chose to break up with the girl. The girl was heartbroken, the girl’s mom was heartbroken, the boy’s mom was heartbroken. The boy was heartbroken but chose what was right for him. The boy, the girl, the boy’s mom and the girl’s mom all managed to remain friends over time and work through the pain. At one point it seemed to be understood the boy didn’t want the girl waiting for him while he was serving his country. Maybe the boy deep down new something more. The boy did go and serve his country and became a Marine that stood out and was noticed. The boy had dated other girls, the girl went off to school and began to date other boys. The boy and the girl and the boy’s mom and the girl’s mom remained friends. After a year in the Marines, the boy got sick, the boy got very sick. It was said by the Drs. the boy would not live. The boy came home to be with his mom and do his best to survive his death sentence. The girl hearing of the boy’s sickness told her new boy that she felt she wanted to visit the Marine Boy, the girl’s new boy understood. The girl drove hours and came and sat with the boy, the girl did this several times. The boy’s heart was touched, the boy’s mom’s heart was touched, the girl’s mom’s heart was touched. The boy and the girl loved each other, not the kind of love that passes with circumstance, the boy and the girl had authentic love for each other no matter the circumstances, no matter if they were together as boys and girls are, or not. The boy’s mom and the girl’s mom became great friends. The boy passed, the boy’s mom’s heart shattered, the girl’s heart shattered, the girl’s mom’s heart shattered. The girl’s family, the girl and the girl’s new boy supported the boy’s family as they laid their boy to rest. The boy, the girl, the boy’s mom and the girl’s mom set an example of what is possible. The story is over but the love never ends. scd