In Memory

The man you see above has absolutely nothing to do with anime, but he’s the man who was like a second father to me and whom I would credit with helping me make it through high school.

That man is Retired Air Force Master Sergeant Robert Mulhern, and this morning he passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Sarge was an amazing man, and I met him because he was one of my JROTC instructors back in high school. Sarge was way more interested in helping all of us kids figure out our way in life than he was in trying to get us to join the military, and it showed in the time he devoted to us and by the very fact that so many of us thought of him as a second father. I even once accidentally called him ‘Dad’, something I wish I’d had the chance to mention to him, since he had managed to not hear my slip at the time. That Sarge has passed away has come as a shock to me, because although he’d been sick for a while, I never even once considered that he could possibly lose his battle. This has blasted a hole in not just my world, but the worlds of all the people he knew, all the people who knew what a fantastic man he was.

I have never solicited donations for any reason before, nor do I foresee myself ever doing so again, but his family has asked that donations be made to Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Massachusetts in lieu of flower donations, so I would ask that you consider even making just a small contribution to that organization. Sarge meant a lot to me, so I’d appreciate it, especially because the organization also helps those who do not have the financial means normally necessary for hospice care in addition to serving those who can afford it.

Until we meet again, Sarge – I love you.