By the time many, or both, of you read this, my middle son will be in San Antonio experiencing Zero Week with the United States Air Force. He was never really much into sports, but he loved for his two brothers, Parker and Hayden, to have success in whatever they did. He enjoyed their 
accomplishments on the field just as much as they did. Ryan, who I like to call my silent assassin, has decided to take a leap and join a team. He will be my second son to enter the Air Force, but he will be my first to go active.
Parker, who is a junior at Ole Miss, joined the Air Guard in 2014 and has been all over the world already, but we always felt comfortable in the fact that he would only be gone a few weeks and would be back home. This venture is quite new for my wife and me, with Ryan possibly ending up on either coast or maybe even overseas. He was excited when he left, but nervous all at the same time because he knows the sound knob in his life is about to be turned up a notch. However, he never wavered with his decision and has been locked in ever since he decided to join.
Ryan is what I like to call the strong and silent type. He does not waste words and only speaks when he feels interjection is needed or when spoken to. He is not afraid to speak and he is not necessarily shy; he is just very analytical and does not see the need in wasting any breath or saying something that may be taken out of context. He is just a cool guy really and embodies a spirit about him that I envy somewhat but cannot quite explain.
Actually, he reminds me a lot of my late father Jack Beall, who would be bursting with pride knowing his grandson is becoming an Airman. Ryan will actually be his third grandchild to enter the military…my oldest sister’s son is in the Navy, where my father served, and my two sons are in the Air Force. So yeah, I am full of pride about my family and their service to our country and if you don’t want to know about it, don’t ask…heck, I’ll probably tell you about it anyway. I really cannot begin to tell any of you about the emotions that I am feeling at the moment. One second my eyes go all misty and the next second I want to shout with pride from the rooftops.
There is really no good way to explain how it feels to watch my child walk down that terminal at the airport to board a plane that will take him far away from us and knowing that at some point during his service, he will be in harm’s way. It is surreal that my child has become a man right in front of my eyes, deciding to serve his country without hesitation, no matter what it takes. I know that there are many stories from many different folks out there that have gone through or are going through the same thing, but I have somewhat of a soapbox to shout from a little bit and it is quite therapeutic for me to do so.
Nothing quite gets to me like the first time I entered their bedroom after they had flown from the nest. I cannot even begin to describe those feelings; let me just say that it is quite the “flood” of emotions that just reach up and bite me right in the heart. It was breathtaking, to say the least.
I feel confident that his mother and I have poured everything that we have into him to live a happy and faithful life. Ryan is such a good and caring young man, but don’t let his quiet nature fool you. He has the heart of a lion and I have never seen him back down from anything. This latest challenge he is embarking on does nothing but solidify that in my eyes. I sure do miss him already, but I know he is in fine hands and will be even better for it.
I am proud of every young person that decides to serve this great country in whatever branch of service they choose, but at the moment I am just a little prouder of my hero, my son…Ryan Beall. Hurry home young man. Fly, Fight, Win!!!
