Tricia's (Proud Marine Sister) Speech "Homecoming" Ceremony

First and foremost I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to be here in honor of our Marine and my brother. Your support and encouragement was definitely a Godsend to our family over the past 6 months. Your letters care packages, e-mails, and phone calls have not gone unnoticed, or unappreciated. It is not everyday that a young man returns from fighting for the freedom of his fellow men.

It seems so real, that he is actually here, back at home, because we all know that there are families that cannot share in the same joy that all of us feel today. Every time I read an article or see something on TV about the war in Iraq, it is hard to even begin to comprehend that my little brother was there, in the middle of it all, facing probably one of the hardest challenges in his life.

I will never forget the days leading up to his departure for boot camp. I can remember seeing a funny movie with some friends, and I took Daniel to dinner, and to see the same movie in the theater a couple of days later, before we dropped him off in Buffalo. The one memory that I always reflect back on, from that night was looking at him at one point, during the funniest part of the movie and taking a mental picture of him laughing, because I knew that it would be a while before I would see that again.

Time and time again, I looked back at that moment and I knew that he had the strength and the willpower to get through the challenges that would come his way in the future, and I for one, truly believe that this is a testament to that.

Each of us has different memories of him, and knows him from a different perspective. This experience has affected all of us in different ways. I can never relate to how it must have felt for my parents, just like they will never be able to relate to how it felt for me, as a sister. I will never in my lifetime, understand or even begin to comprehend the experiences that Daniel has been through, and the hardships he has had to face in Iraq. When he first enlisted in the Marine Corps, I never, ever thought that he would be someone, who as a little boy was not allowed to play with toy guns, but that would now be carrying around an M16 rifle, and 2 handguns, at the age of 20.

Daniel and I used to be complete opposites, when we were growing up. There were so many qualities about him that I admired about him that I lacked. I loved his courage to speak up; his incredible sense of humor, his rebellious nature, and we all know he has that in him, among other things. Most of all, though I love the man he has become and the kind of brother he has been to me, no matter how far apart we are from each other, distance will never be able to break the bond that we as brother and sister have built in the past 4 years. I will be the first to admit that we fought a lot when we were growing up, but when I left for University, and he joined the Marines, it made us realize, how much we took each other for granted, and it has made us cherish the moments we do see each other. It has been difficult, not being able to see or talk to him everyday, but I realize, that he is in California doing what he does best, and living the life he was put on this earth for.

Our family has had some rough patches over the years, but in the end, the four of us are probably as close as any family can get. I can remember when we were younger, how we used to hate the discipline that came our way, but now I would not change a thing, about how we were raised. I am a better person, and the woman I am today because of the 3 closest people in my life. Both Daniel and I have had an open and honest relationship, not only with each other, but also with our parents, and my only hope is that I can pass on that closeness and openness to the family that God willing will have in the future.

The 2 men I admire the most are my father, and my brother, because they have worked incredibly hard to get what they want out of life, and have let nothing stand in the way of achieving their goals.

I would now like to take this moment to present the website https://corporalpatterson.tripod.com/ to Corporal Daniel Patterson, that was made in honor of him, with thanks to Cheryl, USDevilDogMom, who lives all the way down south in New Orleans, Louisiana. The song on the website, "A Soldier's Heart", by R. Kelly, we felt was most appropriate for him, which we have listened to over and over again, and wish to share it with you all now.

So, Daniel, on behalf of myself, Mom and Dan, and everyone else here today, we love you and welcome you back home.