Do You Have A Dream?

The World Series has produced a winner! The Atlanta Braves won four out of the six games they played against the Houston Astros. The Braves literally smashed it out of the park on the final game with a score of 7 to 0. I have been to a few live games, and I love the energy that is present and especially the song played at the seventh-inning stretch. Although it’s the end of the season for fans, I would imagine for the players and especially those who work at the stadiums, the lights remain on throughout the year. The 2022 season is around the corner though, and Major League Baseball announced earlier this year that Spring Training will begin February 26, 2022. For those who love the game, I am sure they anxiously await this day with great anticipation.  

My brother loved baseball! In an essay Chris wrote in 1994, his thesis statement reads, “Baseball is America’s game, and I loved it with a passion, wanted to excel, and had a dream of one day playing professionally”. He writes, “the kids from the neighborhood would always be at the park, playing baseball. We loved the game, playing it as though we ourselves were the professional ballplayers. We would spend hours learning how to mimic their stances, fielding, and their attitudes. In our minds, the only difference between us and them was that we were still young boys.” As I reread my brother’s essay that he wrote over 25 years ago, I’m reminded that life has so many possibilities.

During Chris’ sophomore year in high school, he was invited by the Varsity Coach to finish the season with them, with the understanding he might not participate in the game. That didn’t deter Chris because he saw this as an opportunity to train with the more experienced baseball players to improve his abilities. That summer he played with two teams with the intent to gain as much experience as possible. It paid off! He won a starting position, became one of the team’s captains, and received the honor of Co-M.V.P. his junior year. Chris’ high school coach was corresponding with college coaches, who were sent the game schedules for scouting purposes, and Chris began receiving letters from colleges regarding baseball scholarships. He was “on top of the world”.

Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, the dream that took hold of Chris from the moment he “first squeezed [his] hand into a leather mitt” was dashed. The last paragraph of Chris’ paper reads, “As time began to once again creep along, I put my life back together, minus one part, baseball. I came to realize that the dream I had as a boy would always be a dream. I was just another American boy who had been wooed by the game of baseball. Realizing the dream was now over, I took the step into manhood. It is now time to grow up, and move on. Time to accept life’s responsibilities, and time to start a new dream.” 

When I first read Chris’ essay years ago, my heart hurt for him. He expressed and acknowledged his sadness, anger, and the pain he felt from having a dream within his reach being destroyed in an instant. It took time for him to process these difficult emotions and doing so required strength, maturity and resilience, which were evident in his words. Out of the sadness and in his transition from boy to man, he realized he could pivot and still DREAM. And, he did! He dreamed of becoming a SEAL. After high school, he attended the local community college for two years and then joined the Navy. Through training, discipline (both mental and physical) and hard work, he achieved this new dream. 

Chris called me from Afghanistan in July 2011 – three weeks before he was killed. He was still dreaming! He talked about his future plans for returning to school and about living a simpler life where deployments were not always on the horizon, and he encouraged me to keep dreaming, too. As we approach Veteran’s Day, I challenge you to do the same. For any Veteran who might be reading this, I want to especially encourage you. The attributes of service (duty, honor, loyalty, hard work to name a few) intrinsic in military life are still very much needed in our world! I do believe that is one reason Chris left his last request to raise awareness for Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). He believed in you,  his military comrades, and understood the importance of dreaming after one’s military career ends. The programs and services WWP offers to Veterans are life-changing and can help you reconnect with your dreams or discover a new one. The WWP Resource Center has teammates standing by for Veterans and Veteran family support members and can be reached at 888.997.2586 or visit WWP Resource Center.

For my fellow civilians interested in becoming a part of Chris’ legacy to help Veteran’s, you can donate here. Any amount counts! Chris was about reaching 100,000 donors, and to date 30,291 people have donated in his memory (69,709 people to reach). For those who have donated and for those who will donate, THANK YOU! My brother’s last wish to help those who return to their families is made possible because of you. His final mission can only be accomplished through our UNITED team work. I’m dreaming of the day we reach his goal!

Soon,
Cindy
Proud Sister of Christopher George Campbell, US Navy
September 16, 1974 – 8/6/11
“The greatest casualty is being forgotten” – WWP