I've known them since middle school. Back when I was taller than he was and could actually beat him up if I had to. Back when the biggest problem we had to worry about was who was crushing on who. She was one of my best friends clear until we graduated. We kind of became friends out of nowhere. It was like they came into my life one day at school and I never looked back. Now our friendship has had many bumps in the road. Seth and I even tried dating once but everyone knows those middle school relationships don't really count. Through all the curve balls life seemed to throw at us, our friendship stayed the same.

He used to be this heavy kid that a lot of people found weird. I kind of liked it that way because I didn't have to share him with as many people. He could be my best friend. He's always had my back. I wouldn't have passed that physics class without him. He was always there to defend me and stick up for me. He knew my religious beliefs and never let anyone make fun of me for it. He was the big brother I never had. I kept him in line (or I tried) and together we survived high school. Marissa was always the one to get angry at me. Regardless of the situation, she was always there to be my voice of reason and shoulder to cry on. The choir would not have been the same without her.

When he told me he was joining the Marines, I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want him to change into someone I didn't know anymore. Marissa has always been the kind of person who follows through with what she says. She was determined to join the Army and I knew she would be just fine. She may be small in weight but she's one of the strongest people I know. While I wasn't sure where they would be stationed, I knew that no matter how much time passed, we would always be there for each other.

After high school, life pulled us hundreds of miles away from each other. Being in the military made it difficult to keep up with them and me being in school made it difficult to keep up with me. I am so thankful for technology for allowing us to keep in touch so that our friendships stayed intact.

I'm always thankful for the men and women who gave their life for my freedom, I am so proud to say that I have friends who are also willing to do the same.