United, they get by! A True Story with a little help from a song.

Baseball and apple-pie, music and mom? Is it any wonder how absence makes the heart grow fonder? A few times I had a nightmare as I relived Parris Island. Once, it seemed so real as I jumped out of bed and on ‘the line’ — — assuming the position of attention. Perhaps it sounds strange, perhaps you had to have been there to realize the experience of boot-camp as we take small things for granted. It wasn’t easy sacrificing free-will, liberty, comfort and convenience.

“We had a good home and we left, right?” “We had a good home and we left, right?'' We use to sing that silly song as we marched off to breakfast at 5AM. It’s funny how we can associate and relate to different tunes. Perhaps it’s no small wonder that music has been called the universal language but, what about songs and lyrics?

Standing in our assembled formation — — dumbfounded under a full-moon while waiting for our turn to enter the mess hall, anticipation lingered. I’d wonder about time travel as I gazed up at the stars in the sky. Suddenly, songs danced in my head as I unconsciously flashed back — — defying actuality in harmonic bliss like some magic-carpet-ride if but only for a second, a minute or two. Unfortunately, reality would always set in as some D.I. would rudely interrupt my mystical-journey — — sarcastically.

I laugh as I reminisce about Basic training. It was somewhat inhumane and downright degrading, but it made me appreciate all of our little freedoms. I was proud to sing the Marine Corps Hymn at night while, laying in our rack at horizontal attention. It must have been a sight to see — — 65/70 recruits, all perfectly still in bed expressing their common bond. We didn’t dare look around but, the sound sent chills down my spine. It made the hellish day; worth- while.

I don’t believe in coincidences. They are merely a testament to our ignorance as destiny is but a matter of choices. Opportunity and potential are everywhere. Consequences are a direct result of combined choices. Denial is but a choice. However, how can one deny the Beauty of Music as a Song is the epitome of Poetry in Motion. Every once in a great while a timeless version comes along which most people can relate to — — anytime, every place, everywhere.

I believe that I was destine, to meet John Culliton Mahoney through a mutual friend, Dwane Hall. I initiated contact with Wendy via E-mail. She was devastated when her son Jeremy left for ITB training at Fort Benning. She felt so afraid, lost, worried — — all the fears a mom has under certain circumstances. “When would I hear from him?” “When would I see him again?”

“Oh, why did he have to go?” She wondered.
When she and her family returned home from the airport, she sat at the computer and kept refreshing the page to see if his plane landed. She cried a thousand tears that day as she searched the net — looking for some kind of support for moms. Ironically, she knew that if she was feeling this way, surely, there must be other moms out there feeling the same way.

Thus, in what felt like her darkest hour of worry for her son, Military Moms was born — — (www.militarymoms.net). Wendy soon found out that she was not alone. But she never dreamed that her site which started out with a hand full of moms would grow so big, so fast.

Its message board was getting 4,000 hits a day.
When I seen- Wendy’s story on the local TV newscast, I knew that it wasn’t a coincidence. It was a few days before Mothers Day and we just finished recording a song in Sessions Recording Studio for the occasion entitled ‘In My Mother’s Eyes’. I looked up their website and was touched by their camaraderie as they helped each other get by day after day. I remembered how lonely it could be in boot-camp. Hence, I offered to put John’s song on their site as a Mother’s -Day Surprise Gift.

Wendy welcomed the song with open arms and the rest of the Moms Loved it so much that they adopted it as their Theme Song. In fact, when you enter www.militarymoms.net, it plays automatically. We were proud to be a part of Military Moms and decided to donate $2.00 from every CD sold to support their non-profit site. Fortunately, ‘In My Mother’s Eyes’, is one of those timeless Graces from God which speaks for its self.

In My Mothers Eyes
By Mahoney & Gordon
In my mothers eyes
I was the only one
And in my mothers eyes
I was her only son
My father died when I was young
Sailed out to the setting sun
In my mothers eyes
In my mothers eyes
I grew to be a man
And in my mothers eyes
I learned to understand
The way that life was meant to be
Was always there for me to see
In my mothers eyes, My mothers eyes

( Chorus )

In my mothers eyes
I grew as strong as I could be
And in my mothers eyes
I found Me !
In my mothers eyes
I knew the time had come
And in my mothers eyes
I knew her job was done
My love for her will never end
And one day I will look again
In my mothers eyes, My mothers eyes
In my mothers eyes
My mothers eyes
Repeat and fade out

I got a surprise a couple of months later by E-mail as John was invited to perform at their first birthday party. It was so remarkable just being there as Moms from all over the U.S. conjured together in the name of mutual support. They all took turns hugging, laughing and crying as most of them met for the first time. I came to realize that they were in fact one big family, which encouraged, prayed for and Loved each other.

We set up a make -believe stage under the awning of Dwane’s motor home. One of the Moms brought a couple of American Flags, which we proudly displayed. John sang as the ladies mingled. When he dedicated the last two songs to a mother whose son was the Green Beret whom died in Afghanistan a few weeks prior when he fell out of a helicopter; you could hear a pin drop. When he sang the last song — — ‘In My Mother’s Eyes’, one of the Moms held a cell phone in the air close to John so that somebody on the other end could hear it.

By the time John finished it, there was not a dry eye at the party. The parents of the Green Beret thanked John as the three of them shook hands, hugged, cried and talked for about twenty minutes. The whole event was a sight, which I shall never forget.

I wished the Military Moms the best of luck. United, they are a force to be reckoned with. They are dedicated to boosting the morale and spirit of those who are far away from home protecting our home — — America, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. Their Mission is to promote Patriotism in all of America as they realize that ‘ Freedom is not Free’.

John was invited to go to Washington, DC for the next National Convention/Birthday Party in August, 2003. Unfortunately, it Never Happened? All the Moms wrote letters to their Congressmen and the White House for Support. They wanted the President of the USA to attend? How could anybody deny the Mothers of our Troops?

The End!