Congratulations to Kent Wilder who is this years' RF-LAMBDA's Memorial Scholarship recipient. He is currently a student studying at Virginia Tech…
“I grew up as young boy in Hampton, Georgia. My mother worked as billing specialist for a physical rehab company, and my father was in the Army National Guard while working as a chef for his civilian job. He started out as a basic infantryman but strove for special forces shortly into his career. My dad was granted the opportunity to go through the Army LRS (Long Range Surveillance) pipeline after proving himself physically and mentally. He successfully went through selection and joined H Company (Airborne) 121st Infantry (LRS). It wasn’t long after induction into the unit that he was deployed to Iraq in 2002.
During that time, we received as many letters as he could write (which weren’t many). I was always thrilled to get anything from him in the mail, and my dad would occasionally send back a few items from the field like green glow sticks, a local craft, or anything in between. I was the oldest of my siblings at the time; my sister was two years younger than me, and my mom was pregnant with my youngest sibling, Samuel. After completing his first deployment in Iraq, my dad requested leave during their ramp-down period and came home to work his civilian job. He didn’t want to waste any time making sure all bills were paid. During his first night back, his tire popped after work. It was in the early morning hours, but he stopped on the shoulder to replace the tire. Another motorist fell asleep at the wheel a few lanes over, but managed to swerve across the lanes, striking my dad head-on.
My father was a tough nut to crack because when the paramedics arrived, he instructed them to evaluate the other guy first. Little did he, or anyone, know that he was suffering internal hemorrhaging from his head. He ended up passing out on the scene, and that’s when we were called. My mom went straight to the hospital, and some neighbors came over to look over us kids. My dad stayed alive just long enough to say goodbye to my mom but ended up passing away in the hospital.
It took many years to recover from our loss, and I tried my best to be the “man of the house,” as I was the oldest sibling. Even though my mom remarried a few years later, I still see myself as a living testament to my father and the success he achieved. I did my best to be a role model for my younger brother and sister by getting good grades and participating in multiple sports.
Today, I am a student at Virginia Tech majoring in biology, attempting to get a minor in computer science. I am still striving to be the best that I can be, and to try to make my father proud in Heaven. It was a special moment when my siblings came of age to be able to explain to them all the cool things our dad achieved. My younger brother thought it especially cool that our dad served in a special forces unit, and is thinking of enlisting later in life.
As time goes on, I want to emulate the best of my dad and be just as cool to my eventual children. All of my current and future successes are shouldered in part by organizations like the Sugar Bear Foundation that allow for children like me to still succeed in the world. Through tragedy came blessings, and I couldn’t be more thankful to the Sugar Bear Foundation and the people who financially support them. Helping children of fallen servicemembers carries on their legacy, and brings a lot of encouragement to myself and my family.”
