The Guys Across The Hall…
Before I was Amy Mac, I lived across the hall from these 2 cute, athletic and funny guys. One was a rower at Purdue who would later become my husband and the other was a hardcore ROTC Army Ranger, Tim. Through the course of the first couple weeks that we were neighbors, we had established open door policies, open refrigerator policies and group TV and movie schedules set with military precision. There was just something about the 4 of us that clicked and we even eventually added a couple other guys down the hall. Overall, it was the best year of my Purdue days!
All these things have been sitting in a happy memory place for years and have resurfaced due to Tim being killed in Iraq last week. I could carry on for hours about the things we said and did but instead I’m just going to give the highlights as they are in my mind.
There was the Friday nights when both our significant others were out of town and he would make me dinner and we would watch movies (mostly Army movies…Full Metal Jacket, Patton, etc) until the early hours of the morning or until we fell asleep on the couch. The time we built a fort in Brooke’s and my living room and he painted us in full camo – it is the only way to do the fort thing right. Tim showing me the engagement ring he was going to give to his girlfriend and being so excited and eager for approval – it was beautiful and she said ‘yes.’
His 21st birthday when his friends returned him to the building in a not-so-great state and after taking eyeliner and drawing all over his face, I stayed up and watched him all night to make sure he was ok. Taking me jogging and carrying on with the Ranger cadences the whole time to keep me motivated – I still use them when I’m not in the mood to do cardio. Insisting that I needed to learn self-defense and then teaching me – that was a rough couple of weeks! Him and Chris making Thanksgiving dinner, making Brooke and I ‘formal’ dinners and being there to help clean up when I had a tiny kitchen explosion. There was also the night that I accompanied his best friend to the Army Battalion Ball and we doubled with him and Julie.
There are just so many things that we shared as friends and I know that he died doing what he loved and believed in. I did not feel strong enough to go to the service today, my husband went and said that it was amazing (Chris’s post). Tim would not have wanted it to be a big deal but you just can’t have someone that wonderful go without a proper celebration of his life. I am lucky to have him as part of my life both in person and in memories and I look forward to going home over the holidays and going through all our pictures.
Love you lots Tim! Thank you for letting me be your friend, it’s an honor.
Hometown News Story
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