[CQ-Contest] The Ultimate "THANK YOU"

[Ken K7ZUM]

Hi Guys,

         Has been a very long time since I posted anything on the contest reflector, but had something 
happen this evening I thought would be nice to share. 

           My oldest son left for the Navy on Sept. 11th 2003, went through boot camp, came home for 
christmas, and is now back in Florida attending his school of choice, has to do with Electronics, 
So earlier this evening I get a phone call, is my son on the other side, he sounded a little odd, as if he 
wanted to say something, me thinking maybe something bad happened in school, but no, he said he was 
doing very well, and then he started sounding very excited, and he started to tell me, very slowly, Dad, 
do you remember many years ago, when you pushed me and helped me get my Ham Radio license ??
naturally I said yes, he said, do you remember when you said that someday, sometime, I'd thank you 
for helping me get that license ?? I said, well, yea.  Well, the very next thing I heard him say made all 
of the years of hard work, all of the frustration, all the years of being very very patient, the years of teaching
him about radio, antennas, electronics, all the years of operating from my station, taking him to places like 
W7RM's place to operate from , years and years of contesting from our good friend W7GG's place, 
two years of taking him to the Carribeans to operate C.Q.W.W. phone as both FS/K7ZUM and PJ7/K7ZUM, 
all of this was worth every last secound of that work to hear these words, "Dad, I am just calling to say
thank you for helping me get that license" !  so many of the things they are teaching me, are the same 
things I learned from Ham Radio and contesting, and it is SO COOL !   he's doing very, very well, 
thanks to Ham Radio, and our many friends in the contesting world.

Is this COOL OR WHAT !!

        



73 de K7ZUM
Ken in Gres"HAM"  Ore