Amerika (48 page)

“My father . . Billy began, and then his voice broke. He squared his shoulders and started again.

“My father died because he believed that what he stood for was more important than his life. My father gave me life. He gave me my physical life, and then he gave me a reason to live the rest of my life. I didn’t have much time with him, in these last few weeks, but that time was more precious to me than all the rest of my days.

“I remember he said to me, ‘These are hard times, but each of us will find the best or worst in ourselves, and that will be our immortality.’” The boy’s voice broke, but then he continued. “I think my dad found his immortality, in what he taught me and others. He said that everybody has to die, so dying isn’t what’s bad. What’s bad is having lived for nothing.

“My dad lived for something. He lived for himself. He lived for his ideals, for the America he loved. He lived for me—and for you.”

Devin Milford achieved his goals. He had left a legacy that his son and his son’s children would inherit. A legacy of American spirit that was priceless.