What a Game!

The anticipation was worth the wait! Garrett and I arrived in Ft. Worth on Wednesday and were met at the plane by two great guys, Captains 'Mac' McGilvray (F-16 pilot) and Lloyd Childs. Both men are AFA alumni and were helping to host Garrett's dream weekend. Mac also played football at AFA in the late 1990's.

At the hotel, Garrett got to meet with Chris Thomas, Justin Moore and the rest of the Fighting Falcons football team. They gave him the red carpet treatment! He spent the better part of two days hanging out with the Air Force football team and their families. It was fantastic, but the best was yet to come.

Game Day! We met the team at 0830 in the hotel lobby and were led to the team bus. Garrett's seat was waiting. It was a tremendous experience and great teaching moment. The team remains entirely quiet on the bus, taking private time to focus on the battle yet to come.

At the stadium, Garrett got to go into the locker room with the team and hang for quite a while as they prepared. Chris and Justin both took time to visit with Garrett and give him more "gifts" , items such as wrist bands and a pair of receiver gloves that Justin made Garrett promise not to take off during the game. He didn't.

The game was amazing, Chris had 12 tackles and two interceptions. Garrett was beside himself. The day was a cold one, but Garrett refused to break his promise to Justin and would not put on his warm gloves. It may have been an omen, because the Fighting Falcons beat the top rated passer in the country, picking him off 6 times. We watched the game with Chris' family, Mac and Lloyd. Toward the end of the game, Mac reached out to his friend and 3 time Super Bowl champion Chad Hennings, another Air Force alumn. Chad visited with Garrett and let him wear a Super Bowl ring. It was quite an experience.

Following the game, Garrett was brought back into the locker room to share in the victory celebration. Chris gave Garrett a big hug and all of the coaches and players kept thanking him for coming to the game. The overall character of these tremendous men boggles the mind. They are truly the best and the brightest. The future of our Air Force is in great hands! They represent what is good and decent about our Country, and I'm so proud to know them and have my son look up to them. Their behavior the entire time was beyond reproach. He ended his trip with a visit to Mac's family home. They are great people. All of them.

Garrett came home with a signed football, other trinkets and memories to last a lifetime. More than that, however, Garrett received so many positive examples of how true humble warriors should behave. From the coaches and players to the families, everyone was top-shelf and treated Garrett with such care, dignity and love.

There will be more to follow, but I wanted to drop a quick note to share just a glimpse of what a fantastic experience this was for our little warrior with the heart of a champion. It was a good break, because as we returned, he had more blood tests done. There were concerns that his kidneys may have been in trouble. Indications now, though, are that all is ok. Praise Jesus!

One last quick note....Garrett played his PSP video game on the plane trip down. He played the Air Force Vs. Houston game. His score: Air Force 49. Houston, 14. The final score of the real game: Air Force over Houston, 47-20. Pretty darn close!

God Bless you all. Remember to put on your armor and always fight the good fight.

JD