(4/6) “Jeffrey was set to deploy not long after Kevin’s death....

(4/6) “Jeffrey was set to deploy not long after Kevin’s death. I begged him not to go. I remember we went on a walk, and he said to me, in this real mature voice: ‘Dad, you know I have to go. My men need me.’ And I said: ‘Jeff. You don’t have to go. We need you here. Mom needs you, Melanie needs you, and I need you.’ But he insisted. I was a colonel at the time. And even though the father in me couldn’t understand, the soldier in me did. Jeffrey had to make his own path. He left for Iraq on Kevin’s birthday—November 15th, 2003. He was killed three months later. On that morning my boss was scheduled to leave on a trip. He was a two star general. We spent the morning together, then he told me ‘goodbye,’ and I assumed he left for the airport. But a few minutes later, I stepped into his office, and I found him standing alone in the dark. I said: ‘Sir, did you miss your plane?’ And he started walking toward me. And I knew. I knew when he took that first step. And he grabbed me, and he said: ‘Mark, it’s Jeff.’ And I said: ‘Is he hurt?’ And he told me: ‘Mark, he’s gone.’ And I said: ‘Are you sure?’ And he said: ‘I’ve known all morning. I verified three times.’ I thought ‘No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be. This isn’t possible. Not both of them.’”