One night a few months back, my younger son was getting ready for bed.As I prepared to say goodnight while tucking him in, he looked up at me and said, "dad, I've made a lot of assists in my soccer games these past few years — I don't remember how many.
But I've scored 31 goals.And you know what? You were there and saw every one of them."My son might not have realized it in the moment, but he had just given me one of the most wonderfully heartfelt complements I've ever received.To this day, I've never missed one of my son's soccer games and I've made it to almost all of his practices.
On those rare occasions when coach asked me to help run a practice, I felt like there was no place on earth I'd rather be than touching grass with my son and his soccer pals.DADS AREN’T OPTIONAL — AND AMERICA’S KIDS ARE PAYING THE BRUTAL PRICEMy dad taught me how to ski when I was 4 years old.We spent countless vacations and weekends together skiing in New England.
It was only years later when I realized it was not about the skiing but the glorious father-son time we spent together, that ultimately mattered most to both of us.Ski trips created opportunities for us to bond over what interested us, usually Boston sports teams, history, and foreign policy.
Especially over meals together and car time, we built a close relationship and even if as a teenager I might not have been ready to admit it, my dad became a role model, who showed me how family was by far the most important part of our lives.On Father's Day, my thoughts also turn to my friend and former CIA colleague Dave Tyson and Mike Spann, a Marine Corps officer and CIA paramilitary Case Officer, whom I will always regret I never had the honor of meeting in person.Mr.
Tyson and Mr.Spann were part of the eight-man "Team Alpha", the first Americans to infiltrate Afghanistan and take the fight to the Taliban as part of Operation Enduring Freedom following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.On 25 November 2001, they were collecti...