A Soldier's words inspire

"Service is the foundation of life. Without service, our lives have the same impact and meaning as a stick lying on the ground. No one remembers the sticks stepped on in the woods, but everyone remembers the flowers they see and smell in the meadow. If we serve and work throughout our life we will be like the flower that everyone remembers and always comes back. In our memory, many more, especially those that we touched during our life will carry on the legacy of service, thus we had a positive impact on others and life had meaning. The whole meaning of life is to pass on to others that which we value most and what I value is service and throughout the rest of my life I will serve the community of my brethren to the best of my ability."

Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw graduated from Bellarmine Prep. He was serving in Afghanistan when he was killed by an IED this past June. When he was a high school senior, Brian wrote an essay (excerpted above, full essay at the bottom of this story) about the meaning of service, and those words deeply impacted a Steilacoom man who read them.

"Sometimes," explained that man, who prefers to remain nameless, "it takes a death to lend perspective to what is truly important in life."

“With the loss of this young man, I was overwhelmed with feelings for him and his family. He had long been an acquaintance, and that essay he wrote while in high school, “Reflection on Service,” came to symbolize a large part of his life—service to others. It inspired me to decide to contribute my time to assist with a mission outreach program, Hope for Honduran Children. The organization supports the neglected children of Honduras.

This coming February, the Steilacoom resident, along with two business associates, will join the medical mission group traveling to Honduras. While there, they will provide medical expertise in an area of service that has not previously been available.

Tax deductible contributions to defray the costs for supplies, travel and other expenses are welcome. They can be made to the Hope for Honduran Children effort, c/o St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7112 S. 12th St., Tacoma, WA 98465 or 253-564-5185.

Reflection on Service

By Brian Bradshaw 2002

As life creeps along at what some of us see as a breakneck speed while others want it to hurry up, we must think along the journey what we are doing with the short time we have. With the little time we have we must use it to help or serve others. Life must not be full of regrets wither we must look forward to things and look backwards and be able to smile and cry over the timeline of our life. To me life has not started. I am in the warm-up phase. I, at this point, am merely being trained for what the trials will be like. The world is a large and unforgiving place. So to be able to face it, we must have the proper attitude and proper training.

For me the training will continue until I die. The life ahead of me is not merely one of college, then a job at a well-known business, but my job will require commitment, change and a sense of duty. My job will be, if all goes according to plan, as a pilot in the United States Army. I hope to continue my training so I will be best able to serve and protect my country. For me the perfect time to do this will be early to mid thirties. While still young, I am able to use my head and not attempt heroics and will be taken seriously by others in the world. I feel that service is a part of everyone’s life and at 30 something, I will be at the height of my service.

To do service is not a requirement but a guideline on how a life must be lived. The bottom line in the business sense should not be first and last things to go through our minds at night. We, as conscientious citizens, must realize that we all have gifts and talents that others can benefit from. The goal of life is to help others, not create the biggest cash flow. Life is a constant state of giving and sacrifice.

To remind me of the sacrifice of others before me, I wear a Vietnam era POW bracelet. The people who fought and died, long before and after I was born, gave the ultimate sacrifice and service. While not everyone is required or even wanted to give that much service, all of us must give something to someone because if we do not, life is pointless. While not doing service for ourself, service to others guarantees that we will have made an impact and meant something to at least one person on the planet.

To do one’s duty of service throughout life, one must think not of how the history books will remember them, but of how the people you help will remember you. It is far better to work for something, achieve and have one person thank you than to have gone in history as the person with the most money and a person who did nothing. Service begins not after college or after your retirement but it begins during the training phase of life known as childhood and adolescence. Why must we start then? We must start then to form a habit that will carry us to the best time and through the worst times of our lives.

Service is the foundation of life. Without service, our lives have the same impact and meaning as a stick lying on the ground. No one remembers the sticks stepped on in the woods, but everyone remembers the flowers they see and smell in the meadow. If we serve and work throughout our life we will be like the flower that everyone remembers and always comes back. In our memory, many more, especially those that we touched during our life will carry on the legacy of service, thus we had a positive impact on others and life had meaning. The whole meaning of life is to pass on to others that which we value most and what I value is service and throughout the rest of my life I will serve the community of my brethren to the best of my ability!

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