Remembering a friend and hero

I met Lt. Col. Mark Stratton when I was just shy of sixteen years old. My dad had just gotten back from a tour in Afghanistan and we had quickly moved across the country to Norfolk Naval Base so he could attend a joint war college. The Strattons lived down the street from us, by mere chance, but would become close family friends. They were a beautiful family of four — a handsome, Air Force officer father, a lovely, happy mother, and two wonderful and adorable blond children.

I was often asked to babysit the Stratton children and it was always a pleasure – they were polite, cute and fun to entertain for a couple hours now and then. Mrs. Stratton and my mom became close friends; as did my dad and Lt. Col. Stratton. They came over to the house for dinner and after we all departed to new homes 10 short months later they kept in touch.

I didn’t see the Strattons for three years after that — as is often the way it works out amongst military friends — until I went home to Fort Bragg, NC for my twentieth birthday. My family attended a deployment ceremony for the Provincial Reconstruction Teams my father had been in charge of training. Lt. Col. Stratton had come from the Pentagon to be the leader of one of these key groups in Afghanistan. My dad had personally asked him to take the job.

The Stratton family was still beautiful, but they had a new member with them. A bouncing baby boy who looked just like his older sister and brother. The Strattons came over to our house briefly before spending the day together before Lt. Col. Stratton would deploy for a year. I could see the sense of sadness and pride surrounding Mrs. Stratton, while there was a grief bordering on anger displayed by their older son – a four year old who did not understand why his dad was going away for such a long time.

That warm, sunny October day in North Carolina would be the last time I would see Lt. Col. Mark Stratton. Not long ago I received a frantic and sad phone call from my mom telling me he had been killed serving our country in Afghanistan. That evening I emailed my dad in Iraq to tell him I was sorry he had lost a friend. He emailed back to me saying “never forget the sacrifice we are making.”

It knocks the breath out of you, to know someone who has impacted your life is no longer there. To know his children will grow up with faded memories of their dad — a man who wore combat boots to mark him as a hero. On Tuesday he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with the heroes who have protected our country for decades.

Thank you, Lt. Col. Mark Stratton, for all you gave to our country. Don’t worry — we’re looking out for your family.

Katie Glenn is a Senior at American University in Washington, D.C. She also serves as a Military Family Fellow at Military Families United.