Col. Dennis Arinello, USMC, introduced me to Michael May of Houston, Texas. I have learn about Michael's wife Julia May and their Brave Warrior son Steve May, USMC. This is part two of Michael's heartfelt story written by Michael himself.

... Abrams Tanks rolling by, just shaking the ground beneath their feet, watching and listening to Black-hawks light-up the hill side across the ways, ... the rumbles of large explosions, ... watching jets making strafe runs down the valley's and listening to the voice of what my Marine is saying, as he describes the sounds of war, and War Games on the phone to me. I was on speaker-phone all the time when he called so I could share Steven with everyone around me. To hear the rapping of a 50 cal Machine-gun is just mind-numbing. Any parent knows that now the REAL portion of this adventure is merely a "heartbeat" away.

DEPLOYMENT DAY; This has to be the hardest moment of any Marine Parents life, ... the "ultimate sickness!" There are no Proper words to describe the feelings. We were in a zone, a numbing one at that. The day is here, the time is now, and there is nothing you can do that can now change the course of time and fate. It is now out of your hands. You are no-longer in the "know." You are no-longer privileged with certain contact. You are no-longer a focus of his or her intent now. "The Marine" has now made the ultimate switch of exclusiveness, ... to exclude you from the horrors he/she knows to be true. Through his intense training over the last few months, and the stories his buds reveal as they proceed, (the friends that have previously been there,) the adrenalin takes over. The countless hours of no-sleep, the exhaustion of being up for 3-days-straight during the trip overseas. "The Marine" is gone. "The Marine" is now DEPLOYED!

WAITING; Again, there are no words to describe "the waiting," properly. You just muster through it until the moment comes, ... the first 2-minute phone call back home.  What a joyous relief it was for us! It gives a parent a time to close somewhat, after that event and regroup as to how to proceed from then on. "Just call us whenever you can. We love you! ... I Lovvvvvvv ..."  CLICK! Your time is up. Yes, that lull of not knowing how or what you feel goes very deep inside you. We knew that all the money you may spend on a phone-call from Iraq (of all places) can't bring him back on-line.

LETTERS HOME; This was pure "hell time" for us, ... no doubt about that description. When letters reached home, we'd all wait till everyone was home and ready to listen to the letter being read by Julia, of course. She wouldn't let anyone touch that letter for any reason. This was totally an understood fact amongst the rest of the family from the git-go. Mom reads the letters out-loud! Always!!

What else should I be reading into this letter? Is there something my son doesn't want me to know? Is this all that is truly happening? What about all that I read on the "Marine Parents" web-site? What do we make of it all?

CARE PACKAGES; What the hell do you send? What the HELL do you NOT SEND?  We would send a little of everything. Everything that you can honestly think of, that would bring "home" to a Marine that is 8000 miles away, in a "God forsaken" place, full of sand and evil intent. 

THE MEDIA;  Is Brian Williams honestly reporting the truth? The list of questions goes on in exponential fashion. You will never know the truth other than what is to be officially told to you, ... ever. Unless of course the following happens.

THE DAY OF RECKONING; At 14:30 hours, on Friday April 20th (Hitler's Birthday,) I received a phone call at my job. The phone-call started without me knowing who it was for several seconds. 

"Mr. May? I am SSgt. ???? from the family readiness center at Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Base in California. Sir, I need to read you information I have here about your son, LCpl Steven A. May."

As I snapped to the situation, my stomach just went through my mouth.  I felt the most intense sensation of sickness I have felt in years. I hadn't felt this pain since the day my Dad died. I stopped the SSgt. in the middle of his reading the wire, "Let me stop you here Sir. Tell me first, ... is he alive?" 

"Yes sir! He's alive! I'll read you what is on the wire I have in front of me."  The SSgt continued, ... "At 14:30 hours Iraq time, Marine, LCple Steven A. May was involved in a suicide truck bomb blast at their check-point. He is being listed with 'chest trauma,' and difficulty in breathing. He was heli-vaced out to 3 different hospital facilities so far, and he is currently in a Baghdad hospital. No other details are being listed at this time Sir, and I'll send along any further details of his condition as they come in to me" 

SICKNESS; My body is numb now.  I felt as though I was full of pain-killers. My thoughts were, "If I lose my Steven, I really don't know what I'll do?" 

My wife Julia calls soon afterward, she was informed by my daughter Sarah, who was the first to receive the call at home. Julia and I quickly gathered our combined strengths and stayed on positive notes and didn't allow ourselves to go into deep-darkness of thinking the worst.