Proud Son
Dear Editor:
I am Collin Marshall, son of James Marshall. I understand that many will view this letter as biased and disregard it, but I am writing this because I want to give the community an inside look at who my father genuinely is.
I will not lie and tell you that my childhood and my dad were perfect, but when you have grown to adulthood and can still confidently look at your father as a role model and an example of a good man, you can’t help but believe that he did a very fine job. As many have see, my father has been heavily involved and has consistently gone above and beyond at the sheriff’s Department. This is not, however, what I am going to focus on in this letter.
My father has always shown his unwavering dedication to our family. While continuing to add more service aspects to his life, he has remained steadfast in his duties as a dad. He worked as a patrol officer as I was growing up, and put in long 12-hour shifts, some on days, some on nights. This did not stop him from being supportive and heavily involved in every aspect of my childhood. He would always encourage me to be involved in athletics and even put the time in to coach a few of the baseball teams I was on. When I got into high school he went to the gym with me every morning before his 12 hours on patrol. As a boy trying to learn what it means to be a man, I could always count on my dad being there to show me the way.
My father always insisted that I give full dedication to all aspects in life, but made sure I put my primary focus on what mattered most. While in school, academics were always a priority while sports were a benefit of keeping my best foot forward in class. If I did not work hard in school, I would not be allowed to participate in extracurriculars. I did not realize at the time, but my dad was teaching me valuable lessons that he lives by everyday. He has taught me that you can continually do things that make you look and feel good, but if the part of life that matters most begins to fail because of it, those things then become shallow, unfulfilling and lose true value.
Accolades, ranks, service and status truly hold little weight and value if you allow other areas of your life to falter. My father James Marshall, has shown that he will continue to go above and beyond in all facets of his life. He is truly a well rounded, supportive and caring an that have the great honor of calling my dad. I know that as sheriff he will continue to give this community the unwavering support that he has displayed to me all these years.
Just as my father has always been there to support me, I am so proud to be able to support him on this journey.
Proud son,
Collin Marshall
Warsaw