I met two fathers today every dad should admire.
It was Dr. Keith Metzler and Don Childs, a former state police helicopter pilot.
On August 26, 2009 a murderer stole Metzler’s son, David, and Childs’s daughter, Heidi.
They were Virginia Tech students.
I understand they practically grew up together.
They were also in a relationship.
In this line of work, you have to interact with these families (families who’ve lost loved ones to violent crimes) a lot.
It never gets easy.
I’ve seen some families where the murderer has not only taken his victim, but in effect, killed the entire family by killing its spirit.
I’ve seen some family members walk around with a constant look of anger on their faces, and you really feel for them.
Violent crime touched my family too when I was a lot younger, and it took awhile for my family to heal.
I admire Dr. Metzler and Mr. Childs because they are shining examples of faith, love, and family.
Those are the three common ingredients I always see in families that are able to emotionally survive these tragedies.
Faith, love, and family.
As a father I hope I can instill those values in my son and as a journalist it is an honor to cover such strong men as Dr. Metzler and Mr. Childs.
Keith Metzler and Don Childs are two fathers every dad should admire.
Posted by Scott Leamon at 06:21 PM. Filed under: leamon •
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