Title: Reunion
Author: red rooster dawn
Pairing: Harm/Mac
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.
Summary: With trepidation Mac returns home for her high school reunion.
part twelve
4 July
the White House
Rose Garden
A week later they held a special award presentation in the White House Rose Garden. A very fitting place considering it was where most of the people of Jag and Washington first met or heard of Sarah MacKenzie.
President Bush was there to present the award to Mac. He felt honored to present the award to her. He was a big believer of young women being leaders, successful in their careers, for those who gave back to their community, and finally those that inspired others to do the same.
He had two daughters so he appreciated any woman that could be a good role model for his daughters. In the case of Mac it wasn't just about doing it for a short period of time, but making it a lifetime commitment.
The Admiral had arranged for them to get together after the Ceremony at the Officer's Club at the Naval Academy. Many of the important people of Washington turned up there to offer their congratulations to Mac.
They were able to view the edited version of Mac's reunion showing the tributes to Mac. They were very impressed that a young woman had overcome such a disadvantaged youth to achieve so much in her young life and to inspire so many people,
people who had carried on her work for many years to come. They were beginning to understand why she had become one of the most successful woman and lawyer in the military.
The Admiral asked Mac to say a little something. He had always been proud to know her. She was one of the best officer who had ever served under his command. But even he was surprised at the magnitude of her accomplishments.
"I want to thank everyone for coming here today. I have to admit that I was very surprised to be receiving this award, especially since it dealt with me confronting my past. I guess my memories of that time had been tainted by my relationship with my father.
He was an abusive alcoholic who drove my mother away and ruined my life. I was very unhappy back then. I guess that's kind of hard for most of you to believe after witnessing what I accomplished in high school.
But in reality it was because I didn't want to go home after school. I found every excuse to stay at school for as long as possible. I looked for every opportunity. Sports was one of those opportunities.
I utilized my father's negative attitude towards women as inspiration to excel. He had told my mother and me that we were no good and that we would never succeed. I needed to prove him wrong, that I was indeed special, that I could succeed.
When other coaches espoused their ignorance about who was the best team or athlete, it irritated me. It was my father all over again. How can anyone with any amount of intelligence pick against a team when they were the defending champions.
Every year we were returning almost everyone from our championship teams. We used their arrogance as inspiration. It was why we never lost. You can't expect to be the best unless you've actually beaten the best. Someone can't give you that title you have to earn it for yourself.
I was surprised back then that I was the class Valedictorian. I knew I had done well, but I thought there were a few others who had done better. But it was another opportunity for me to succeed and meet a different group of people.
It's exposed me to another side of life. They were people who weren't gifted in one area, but were special in another. Why was that? Mainly it was because that was where their area of interest was. Great athletes are good because they are interested in sports.
Great scholars are good because of their interest in learning. It opened up a whole new viewpoint of the world for me. Just because you weren't good in one area, it didn't make you a loser. You just needed to find something that you were interested in then you would have the opportunity to be a success.
It was that concept that led me to establishing a Big Sister Program in our school though that wasn't our original intent. We just wanted to help out less fortunate young girls. We wanted to show them that they were capable of being love and the opportunity to succeed at something.
Of all my accomplishments in high school, that was the accomplishment that I'm the most proud of. Not only had I given back to the community, but that I had inspired others to do so too.
I had inspired my friends to help out others. I showed them that they could be successful doing something that they love to do and that it could be something they could continue to do for the rest of their lives.
I'm glad that I had the courage to confront my past the last couple of years. In the end I was able to reconnect with my mother after seventeen years.
I found out that my father had actually been proud of all my accomplishments even though he was incapable of expressing it. He kept a record of my accomplishments in his wallet to share with everyone he knew. He died a few years ago.
When I went back to my reunion I was finally able to see what my life really was like in high school. I was very surprised at the impact I had made. I had forgotten all the wonderful friends that I had during that time.
They had made my life much better when I was so miserable during my high school years. I was able to share many fond memories with them that I had forgotten existed.
I was also quite pleased to see that because of my inspiration to succeed through hard work and no excuses was recognized by the many people who had made my life better. It was nothing that I asked or campaigned for. I'm just sorry I wasn't there at the time.
Thank you all for coming. I hope that after viewing this short film that it inspires you to give back, to seek out opportunities to help others. Do it because it makes you feel good about yourself, but not to seek self glorification in the eyes of the world." orated Mac.
Bobby Laythem was very impressed with Mac's accomplishments at such a young age. She had always admired Mac's career and her accomplishments in the military. It was difficult to succeed in what was considered primary a man's world.
Mac was a shining example of what she hoped to accomplish being a member of congress, that is giving women the opportunity to succeed in the military and life itself. Women needed someone to champion their causes.
"Wow! Mac, I can't believe it. That was so impressive. I always knew that you were good, but I didn't know that you had overcame so much to accomplish what you did at such a young age. You must be very proud." exclaimed an excited Bobby.
"I was more surprised than anything else Bobby. It was a very unhappy time for me back then, all I did was keep busy so I didn't have to go home. That's not something to be proud of." replied Mac a little annoyed.
"So you see Bobby, you aren't the only one who had to overcome difficulties while growing up. The big difference between you and Mac is she didn't stop trying to better herself. She's not satisfied with resting on her laurels.
She doesn't have an agenda. She doesn't force her point of view on everyone else. She doesn't want to champion lost causes. When was the last time you actually volunteered to help people yourself.
You saw that Mac initiated a Big Sister Program in her community when she was only sixteen. While she hasn't been involved with that particular program she has continued to work as a Big Sister in the Washington area since she came here.
What local organization do you belong to? Do you support any back organizations home in Michigan or do you let others do the grunt work?
As you have seen here today Bobby, actions speak louder than words. You have to do more than try and tell people what they should be doing or what causes they should support.
You need to be an active participant yourself. You have to strive to improve yourself all the time. Mac has learned many languages since she joined the Marines. It has helped her do her job in areas in which she has been stationed.
It's easier to get a better understanding of someone's point of view when you understand the nuances of their languages instead of maybe getting a wrong interpretation from a translation. She has also bettered herself by getting a law degree and becoming one of the best lawyers in the military.
You have a law degree, but when was the last time you actually practice law? Have you ever been inside a courtroom or did you just use it as a jumping off point to become a politician?" asked Harm questioning whether or not Bobbie actually practiced what she preached.
"Don't be so hard on her Harm, some people are needed to make others aware of the problems in today society even when they don't exist. She doesn't understand personal responsibility and what it means to succeed on your own merits.
She rather have it given to her because she feels she is owed something because someone else in her life didn't get what they wanted because they lack the education or skills necessary to obtain them.
It's unfortunate that she doesn't understand that people in this country are given every opportunity to succeed. But it's up to them to take advantage of that opportunity. It's not the same in many of the countries that we have visited.
They're lucky to have a roof over their head, food in their bellies, and clothes on their back. Many of them don't have the opportunity go to school. They can't decide who to love and marry. They don't have a choice of what jobs they want to perform.
They have to live in the world they are born into. There is no upward mobility in class or lifestyle.
I took advantage of the opportunities that were offered to me in high school. I wanted to succeed because I knew it was my way out of the life I grew up in. I had watch my father put down my mother for years.
He told her how useless she was even though she was a great mother and a good wife who kept a good house. That's why I made the effort in school to tell all my teammates that only they knew how good they were.
They shouldn't listen to people who didn't believe in them or put them down. It was up to them to work hard and prove others that they were wrong and to succeed." added Mac.
Bobbie felt the stings from their comments. Not many people were this honest with her, at least not people she respected. She knew that their criticism was well intended and warranted. Much of what they had was true.
She had accomplished a lot as a young woman. She was very proud of that and rightly so, but she had taken a rest after attaining her law degree. She really hadn't really done anything thereafter to improve herself.
She had tried being a lawyer and found that it was very hard work and she didn't like being in the courtroom trying cases. She had taken the easy way out and become a politician.
While some people might believe that being a politician was easy work, it really wasn't. You had to take the time to learn about many different topics that you weren't interested in. You had to fight for what you did believe in, but also you had to learn to compromise.
There were many people who would help you attain what you want as long as you help the attain theirs which was difficult sometimes when what they wanted you didn't believe in. That was the ugly side of politics.
"I'm sorry that you feel that way Mac. I thought this day was about you and not about me. I have always considered you an inspiration. I have always tried to gain more opportunities for women especially in the military.
I understand my methods of attaining those opportunities may not always be appreciated by everyone, but I found out a long time ago that the squeaky wheel always gets noticed.
That's very important when so many people in congress have so much more seniority than I have. If you let them, they will only look at what is important to them. They won't look at what you want unless you let them know what it is.
I also found out that you can't cave into what they want. You have to make them earn your support. You have to get them to compromise. You will support their bill if they get yours passed.
But you are right Mac. I should get more actively involved in the causes that I profess to support. I should make the time. I shouldn't expect everyone else to something that I myself won't do.
Again Mac, I'm here to support you and your accomplishments. I thought it was something special to see a community honor you not once, but twice for the inspiration that you had instilled in so many.
The fact you did it at such a young age is even more amazing and special. And like I have said before, you have been my inspiration since the day I met you. This is your day Mac, enjoy all the attention that you richly deserve." replied Bobby who then left before Mac could say anything.
"We're going to have apologize to her and make it up to her Harm." moaned Mac.
"You're right of course. It is amazing though that you can inspire women of all ages. I never thought Bobby thought of you in that manner. I knew she respected you and even admired you, but I never would have thought that she was inspired by you." replied Harm.
"Let's not dwell on her. Let's just enjoy the moment." smiled Mac as she stretch up on her toes to share a kiss with Harm.
The End