Voices from the Front

Kyle has been working so hard on his Eagle Scout project, it has become almost like a part time job, sometimes full time. But he is loving every minute of it! He is promoting his website and gathering as many veterans stories as possible. He is organizing a team of volunteers who are helping him interview, write, and edit the interviews and getting them posted to his website. It is quite an undertaking but one he really believes in. Last week at Boy Scouts the Columbus Dispatch photographer came and took his picture for an article that they were doing on Kyle's project. The reporter has been so supportive of Kyle's relationship with the veterans and has been a great help in getting him publicity.

We are so proud of the work Kyle is doing. Once again I am humbled to be his mom.

At the end of the week, after this article was published the following editorial appeared. It totally took us by surprise, how neat that was for him!

From the Columbus Dispatch, Friday -

ONE REQUIREMENT for Boy Scouts wishing to reach the highest rank of Eagle Scout is to plan, develop and provide leadership in a project that will benefit a religious institution, a school or a community.

Many scouts opt for practical projects such as building bird houses for a park or installing playground equipment, and those are worthwhile. But 15-year-old Kyle Miller of Pickerington has devised a more-weighty project.
Kyle plans to interview 1,000 veterans of World War II and the Korean War, and he will preserve their stories on the website voicesfromthefront.org, “so that their experiences, their memories, and their deeds can be heard even after the men have passed on.”
Indeed, hundreds of veterans of the Korean War and World War II die every day. Kyle knows this —he’s delivered eulogies at two funerals for veterans of the Battle of the Bulge.
These members of what has been dubbed The Greatest Generation have stories that the rest of us can learn from — stories that might be lost to history, if not for a 15-year-old Pickerington boy willing to take the time to listen.

Another Story...

Kyle continues to work on gathering stories from veterans. Every person we talk to has just an amazing story of their life. Times were really hard for these WWII vets before they even left for war. So many grew up during the depression and had such hard childhoods.
The veteran we talked to last week was so kind and had so much to share. I love how they just take Kyle right in and share everything with him. This veteran and his wife have been married  almost 70 years! And they love to be together. I don't think they spend any time apart and it is very sweet. They were so kind to Kyle and he left with a memento, an eagle statue from their collection that we will be using at his Eagle Court of Honor in the future.

Celtic Ball

Kyle and his friend McKinley went to the Celtic Ball tonight and had a fabulous time. They spent the afternoon at the practice dance session where they learned Irish and Scottish dances, so cool.

The great thing about boys, they were ready in 15 minutes! I told them to get dressed and off they went and put on their suits, brushed hair, and we were out the door. In a few years it will take us forever to get ready with all these girls.

Parents got to watch the procession into the dance where a bagpiper led the dancers. That was really neat but hard to photograph. By the time I saw them coming by, they had passed. We also got to watch the first dance which was really fun. I was talking to another mom about how we wanted to go to a ball like this and how fun. We only had one or two proms when we were growing up (poor us). This ball is primarily home schooled kids. So, whenever people say things about home school kids missing out on high school type experiences, they have no idea what they are talking about! Kyle has two formals this spring as a freshman! Sometimes I think as home schoolers, our kids often have more opportunities for experiences.

 Kyle said he danced all night. I don't even know if he took a break, he absolutely loved it! I'm so glad that he wanted to go (I didn't even have to talk him into it he really wanted to go!) and so happy he had a good friend to share in the fun. They were already talking about going next year.

Erin being Erin. McKinley being part of our family, we love him! 

Not a good picture, the bagpiper led the procession of all the dancers into the ball room.  So cool.

The back of Kyle escorting Jenna in the procession. 

Kassi just passed, Kyle waving on the left. If I put a couple pictures together I can kind of get a whole one of him in the procession!

Driving

I

I did it, I took Kyle driving. It feels really weird to take your child out and put them behind the wheel and resist not just doing it for them. But that's what everything feels like when they are learning something, mom just wants to teach you, but help you too.

He is VERY cautious. I don't have anything to worry about. We are in parking lots at this point. He is almost ready to graduate to the neighborhood. He really should be more concerned than I am. Bill is a way better driver than I am. I have a really bad habit of driving too fast and sometimes bumping into things. He has already spent 90 minutes with Bill so I thought he was probably ready for a quick lesson with mom. He survived!

15 1/2

Kyle is a really easy going, laid back kid. So when he told me he really wanted to get his temps today I knew he must be really excited about getting his drivers license. He turned 15 1/2 today and he didn't want to wait around a day longer.
My lesson of the day is, when you tell your child to gather the information they need, trust they are telling you the right thing! Kyle has researched everything he needs to do from classes, testing, to where to go to take his temp test. He kept telling me we had to go one place and I said no, it was somewhere else. He was right! Should have just listened to him, he knew what he was doing!
He passed easily and will be out driving this weekend! I'm so excited for him (and also for me, it will be awesome to have another driver in the house!)

Honor Scout of the Year

 

 Honor Scout of the Year for Boy Scout Troop 826...Kyle Miller!

Each year Kyle and Ethan's Boy Scout Troops Alumni Association, awards a scout the honor scout of the year award. This award is given to a boy who demonstrates leadership ability, scout spirit, and also shows scout qualities being used in the community independently.
Kyle has been a patrol leader for two years and has the highest attendance of any patrol. He motivates his scouts, helps them advance in rank, and serves as a role model to all of the boys in the troop.
He has also been very involved with veterans in the community through the veterans group he joined. He has taken the stories he has heard and been asked to speak to numerous groups and share these stories. Last fall he worked with elementary students teaching them the importance of Veteran's Day.
To say I'm proud is an understatement. He has blown me away with everything that he has done. I am so happy for him. He is so humble about getting an award which makes it all the more special. He was so genuinely surprised, it was awesome to watch!

The crowd of boys congratulating Kyle. They were very happy for him. 

The alumni committee members who presented the award.

Picture of the Day

Another amazing man. Another incredible story. Another friend for Kyle.
The plaque above them reads:

Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a Gift
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Very suiting for this man's life.

Seabase

 Kyle is getting the most fabulous experiences. This month he was able to go to Seabase a high adventure Boy Scout "Camp" where the boys sail the Florida Keys for 7 days. Since Bill is the Scout Master he went too but I think he would have gone as a chaperon either way since this is such an amazing trip.
There are 8 boys to a boat plus 2 adults and the captain of the boat. You have to be at least 14 to attend so Ethan has a couple more years until he is able to go on this kind of trip. Basically the captain instructs the boys on how to sail. They also get to dive, fish, and swim. Highlights of the week were catching 4 lobsters for dinner one night, going to a local resort for the day to hang out by the pool, bike ride, go tubing, and kayaking. But living on a boat for a week really is a unique experience.
It was an amazing week. As I told Kyle the day before he left, this is such a special thing to do with your dad. Even though there are other boys there, the two of them were able to spend the week together on an adventure. They have made so many memories together and as I told Kyle, Bill didn't get the opportunity to do these things with his dad which makes it all the more special for them.
Memories of a lifetime below....

Fine Men

Kyle at the Statehouse - May 2011

Today is all about Kyle. It's not his birthday. Not any sort of significant day regarding Kyle but he is on my mind. Probably because he never ceases to amaze me with what an incredible person he is.

I had  the joy of attending a memorial service with him Sunday afternoon. Most might not think that is something to be joyful about but it was a Celebration of Life for Mr. Richard Wheeler, a WWII veteran friend of Kyle's. Mr. Wheeler wanted a celebration and his wife honored those wishes.

He was an amazing man who has had a huge influence on Kyle. They have spent many hours together talking and having lunch at meetings. We  visited Mr. Wheeler's home which Kyle said is like a museum! He got the special tour while I was meeting with Mr.Wheeler's wife. There were books and military medals galore. Kyle had a ball and Mr. Wheeler did too. Packages with DVD's, articles, and notes arrived frequently in the mail. Along with many veterans, Mr. Wheeler would bring Kyle books to read. He has so much to read he doesn't need to go to the library since the library comes to him! So many of these men want to pass along things to Kyle to help teach him and preserve their stories. This has become a passion for Kyle and the men in the Veteran's Chapter he belongs to have taken him under their wing.

When we were at the Veterans Meeting last Wednesday, Mrs. Wheeler asked me if Kyle could say a few words at the memorial service. When I told him about the request his first words were he needed to do it.

Before he left for his Boy Scout camp Friday he sat down and wrote his memorial speech. When he asked me to come read it I had tears. He wrote straight from the heart. Took him no time at all, he knew what he wanted to say.

If you have never heard Kyle deliver a presentation, you are missing out on a wonderful speaker. It is truly a gift, one that he gets from his Dad. He has such a presence when he is up in front of people and it comes across as sincere and confident. You can tell he enjoys doing it and in this case he was so honored and proud to do this for Mr. Wheeler.

But what I love most about my son, he comes back to sit next to me in the pew (of course my tears are flowing) and he puts his arm around me, hugs me, and pats my shoulder. He always does this whenever we are at something that makes me emotional. He always has that hug, comforting arm, and sweet words. Always asks if I'm OK.

From the time he was very little we always thought he had such a deep soul that really felt for other people unlike many other kids his age. He is so empathetic, so genuine and sincere. He is more than I ever dreamed of what he would become and he is not quite 15 years old.

So yes, attending a memorial service with my son was a joy. I was beaming with pride as the line formed afterward to talk to him and hear about his relationship with Mr. Wheeler. He was so proud to be there and honor such a great man. Much like I am honored to be Kyle's mom.

Below is Kyle's eulogy for Mr. Wheeler:

The hardest part of preparing this speech for today was trying to think of a way to describe Richard Wheeler. He was a kind, thoughtful, and dedicated man, dedicated to his faith, dedicated to his family, dedicated to his fellow veterans of the Second World War and preserving their stories.




My name is Kyle Miller; I first met Richard Wheeler at a meeting of the Litsinberger chapter for Veterans of Battle of the Bulge in November 2008. Because of my interest in military history, particularly World War 2 I wanted to meet some of the men who had lived and fought in this greatest of wars and hear their personal stories. Mr. Wheeler was one of the first to share his experiences with me, but of course when you have as many incredible stories as he did no one could ever hear it all in one meeting. Whenever I saw Mr. Wheeler at a veteran’s chapter meeting he would always have a story about World War 2, whether about his own experiences, his paratrooper unit, or anything else involving the war he always had something I wanted to hear. I often received large envelopes in the mail that would have magazines, photos, and DVDs related to World War 2 that Mr. Wheeler knew I would like. I learned a lot of a critical time in human history because of Mr. Wheeler and from a perspective I could never have gotten on my own or in a book or in a movie. It was a human perspective from a human who lived through it. But more than a history lesson, I got something significantly greater. I gained a very good friend, one who was kind and supportive, one who was fun and smart, and one whom I will miss very much. Mr. Wheeler always said the true heroes are in the cemeteries, but I always saw him as hero in life, and I know that now and for all eternity Richard Wheeler will reside with the greatest of men.


Thank you.

Formal is a Hit!

More pictures to come but I had to get Kyle and Cynthia's picture posted. All the kids had a great time and so did the adults who were helping, Bill and I included!
We started with everyone learning the Swing and Rumba basic steps. Everyone had time to practice with a partner and then we let them dance the rest of the night away. Even the reluctant boys had a great time which I was so happy about or I would have been in serious trouble.
We had a photographer get pictures of all the kids throughout the night so we will have plenty of great pictures in a couple of weeks so more to come!
The after party was a huge hit with video games, pizza, poker (?!), Just Dance, food, and all night fun. Not sure how much sleep everyone got but we didn't care since we went to bed!
Thanks to Owen and Jayme for providing a wonderful place to have our event, Owen for great enthusiasm and getting kids off to a great start, Kristi for helping kids create memories of the evening, Aimee for awesome food, and Cynthia, Kassi, Sam, Alyssa, Jenna, and Anna for planning a great night.
Thanks Lindy, Paige, Erin, and Grace for fixing my hair and getting me dressed up!