Honor
"Just over the hill, Tony," Jackson Gibbs indicated a distant grassy rise with his free hand while his other clutched the hand of his energetic seven year old grandson. "Not far now."
Excited that they had almost arrived at their destination, Tony began to jog.
Jack pulled him back with a grin. "Slow down, Son. I can promise we'll get there."
The little boy skidded to a screeching halt and then marched in place, pretending to be a soldier. "Attention, halt!" he called out dramatically. "I wait your command, Sir!"
Jack couldn't suppress a grin as he glanced down at the boy's serious little face. Sparkling green eyes framed by long lashes regarded Jack shrewdly and expectantly.
A middle aged couple edged around them and the woman murmured to Jack as she passed, commenting upon his grandson's good looks.
Jackson Gibbs had long ago gotten used to the reaction. So handsome was his grandson that strangers would invariably approach them in public and compliment the child. Jack reminded himself once again that luckily Tony had other non-physical attributes. In fact, the family focused upon fostering responsibility and ethics in the child, though they recognized he possessed an innate charisma.
Privately Jack thought that Tony had been born for a leadership role.
The older man reached for a small hand again and directed, "Forward, march, Soldier!"
Tony fell into step instantly and grinned at his grandfather, pleased that Jack had joined his pretend game.
"Do you like being all by yourself with me?" Tony swung Jack's hand as they marched. "All by myself with no Daddy or Abuela?"
Jack nodded seriously, "Good gracious, yes! Sometimes a grandfather just needs time alone with his grandson and the grandson wants alone time with his grandfather. That can't happen if you have others hovering all around you."
Tony added his agreement with a nod of his head, "Right, sometimes the others just get nervous about all kinds of stuff."
"Makes it difficult to relax," Jack sympathized, once again hiding a smile. Though Tony rarely deliberately set out to misbehave, he nevertheless managed to discover enough mischief that adults close to him stayed on guard- especially in public places.
The adjective rambunctious generally came to mind when someone mentioned Tony's name.
"Is that why you told my daddy and abuela they couldn't come on this trip with us today?"
Jack laid a hand on the top of Tony's head. "Absolutely! You and I planned this trip just for the two of us and we can do without their company today. Your dad and abuela will simply have to entertain themselves."
"I'm glad you came from Stillwater to visit me," Tony grinned, showing the gap where he had recently lost a bottom tooth. "I like every time that you visit us even though you have to drive a long way from Pennsylvania."
They walked silently for another block before reaching the hill.
With a wave, Jack motioned Tony to skirt the group of tourists in front of them. They cut through a path near the shrubbery which allowed them to emerge at their destination, directly in front of Washington's national monument commemorating the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The sight stopped Jack in his tracks, and Tony hurriedly followed suit and scrambled to a standstill beside him. No matter how many times the older man had contemplated the Iwo Jima Memorial in person or through media the sculpture of those six servicemen raising the American flag always humbled him.
Tony slid one arm around his grandfather's leg and peered up at the weathered face. "It was because of your war this statue got built, wasn't it, Grandpa, with those Marines in the statue?"
"Yes," Jack licked his lips and cleared his throat. "My war, World War II, and those five Marines and one Navy man were my men and brothers, and your soldiers, and fighting for every American in the United States and for our friends around the world."
"How did the flag fall?" Tony shifted his gaze from Jack to the memorial.
"Fall?"
"See, 'cause the men are all picking it up together. What made it fall?" Tony clarified.
"Right, I understand what you mean, but the flag didn't actually fall. We were fighting Japan. Japan could have defeated our troops at Iwo Jima but the Americans held strong for longer than a month. That flag shows the power of the United States and proves that in this country, we fight for what we believe is right and good and honorable."
Tony wrinkled his nose as he surveyed the monument again. "What does honorable mean, Grandpa? Does it mean like el honor in Spanish, kinda like that's what you know in your heart you should do?"
Tony's definition impressed his grandfather. "Exactly. It means you do the right thing and take the right path."
"So that means it's an honor to enlist in the military or serve the country," Tony decided before pointing excitedly towards the back entrance of the area. "Look, Grandpa, the Marines are marching right now!"
Sure enough, glimpses of troops appeared on the horizon and the sounds of drummers surrounded the area.
A sudden, respectful silence enveloped the onlookers and Tony slid to stand squarely in front of his grandfather. Jack placed his hands on Tony's shoulders and squeezed softly as the marching grew louder, recalling his earlier precautions. An excited Tony could prove tricky to control and his grandparent's signal meant for the youngster to stay put.
Jack should not have worried whatsoever.
Tony straightened to his full height and placed his hand over his heart the moment he spied the American flag approach at the front of the band.
The crowd seemed to inhale in unison as the Marine band fully filled in the area which provided the foreground of the memorial.
Automatically hands from other spectators moved to cover hearts in a swell of patriotism.
Jack watched appreciatively as the band's horn section navigated into formation in front of the percussionists.
The audience listened as those marching men and women of the Marine Corps Band transitioned from the National Anthem to the Marine Anthem, then onto The Stars and Stripes Forever as the audience stood transfixed.
The brilliant blue of the sky and the wisps of white clouds framed the unexpected concert, adding to the tribute.
No one left before the Marine Band completed the program and marched back out of the Iwo Jima grounds.
Jack eased the truck onto the interstate an hour later. He glanced in the rearview mirror at Tony, who sat quietly staring out of the window beside him.
"What has you so quiet? Are you thinking about getting home or has the cat got your tongue?"
Tony tilted his head. "No, Grandpa, I'm not thinking about going home right now. I'm thinking about Honor."
That puzzled Jack. "Honor? How do you mean?"
Tony tapped his fingers against the window. "All those people at the Iwo Jima Memorial today they all weren't Americans, Grandpa. Some people were, but a whole bunch of them weren't."
Jack nodded. "True. You are correct. There are tourists from all over the world who come to see the sights in Washington every day, like the White House or Jefferson Memorial."
"But they were there and I saw them," Tony insisted stubbornly.
The statement confused Jack. "You'll have to explain what you mean to me, then."
Tony sat up straighter and leaned towards the back of the driver's seat. "I mean today, Grandpa, today at the Iwo Jima. The tourists got quiet, like we do in church and like Abuela says is respectful. They did that for our Marines, right? They did that to give honor to America. Didn't you notice?"
A swell of pride flooded Jack at the child's insight. Tony was one precocious boy. "You are correct. That is exactly what happened, and yes, I noticed it, too."
The agreement pleased Tony. "They respected our country, Grandpa."
"I hadn't ever thought about it like that but that is certainly true. You are right." Jack reached an arm back and tousled Tony's hair. "So what does it mean?"
Tony smiled. "It means that they know what a wonderful country America is, and that they want to show how important it is to them by honoring it the way they did at Iwo Jima." Tony nodded, satisfied with his conclusion.
"Honor?" Jack repeated.
"Honor," Tony confirmed, "that's what those men in the Iwo Jima statue fought. They fought for honor." The seven year old lapsed into silence for nearly a minute before promising, "When I get home I'm going to tell Daddy and Abuela when I grow up I want to work someplace where I honor America."
Jack assured the little boy, "You know what? I'm positive that will happen."
"So am I," Tony confirmed.