Sisters, Patriots, Daughters…

26May/101

Sisters, Patriots, Daughters…

I received the call from Fishman some years back - it was Friday, April 9th, 2004. I believe it was Good Friday that year. It was mid-evening when I got the call. A friend's sister had just been killed in Iraq. Fishman suggested this would be a good time to step-it-up and do what I could to make sure our friend didn't spin out in the wake of the news that one of his sisters had been killed in action. At the time, Tim, the brother of Pvt./Medic Michelle Witmer, was working for me (having survived working for my brother, Fishman). I was in a particular role as his boss and friend to keep an eye on him so to speak. He was still young - 23/24 yrs of age - and young men don't always know what to do with themselves in times of traumatic life events (not that old men necessarily do)... As it turned out, Tim proved himself incredibly strong and of a character and maturity far beyond his years. This is not to say that Tim was not deeply impacted. He was. But I wasn't surprised with Tim's resiliency because Tim's family was and is made up of very solid, salt-of-the-earth people. People of deep faith and kind hearts. People of honesty and integrity. People of the sort that are very, very rare in this world.

It was a very sad time. To have to watch helplessly as this wonderful family endured the loss of one of their own beloved members. It makes me shudder even to this day to contemplate the degree of sadness that was thrust into their lives. As a friend, I was heartsick for Tim. As a human, I was heartsick for the family. But as a father... as a father, I was at a complete loss as to how Michelle's father, John, could recover. I feel sick when I entertain the thought of a parent having to bury any child. But a father losing a daughter?

But this is not my story. This is John Witmer's story. He has released a book entitled "Sisters in Arms" -

The story of three sisters, all Wisconsin National Guard members, going off to war together brought local media attention—when Michelle Witmer became the first female National Guard member to be killed-in-action the story brought National attention. When her parents went public with their request to have their surviving daughters taken out of harm’s way, the story went round the world.

Sisters in Arms is a twenty-first century war story – the Witmer family’s personal war story. The Witmer family’s struggle with the complex issue of family members serving side-by-side received world-wide media attention and Michelle Witmer’s story would later be included in the HBO documentary “Last Letters Home.”

Using the letters, emails, and phone calls received during their deployment, John Witmer describes his daughters’ experiences in Iraq and provides insight not only into the lives of female soldiers, but into the lives of families who wait for soldiers. Sisters in Arms illuminates the changing roles of women in the military while sharing the deeply personal story of a family’s struggle to come to terms with profound loss.

I would encourage all of you to pre-order John's book here. I have not read this book yet, but I do know he is a very good writer. I have read many of his pieces about his childhood (he used to have a blog too). So, I know the quality will be outstanding. He is also a deeply Christian man, so I know he will treat about spiritual matters as well. He is a loving husband to Lori - who is, like John and all the members of Michelle's family - a wonderful, caring, compassionate, wickedly-smart and 100% authentic human being.

John's book should make it onto your Summer reading list.