Since Kevin was young, he has been fascinated with the military and the war that’s often needed to achieve peace.

A precocious child with an ability to read quickly, he’d devour whatever books he could get his hands on. And for the most part, those books were about war.

Even before he got out of elementary school, he was an expert on the world wars. He could tell you about the guns used, the bombs used, the players, the soldiers—basically, he knew everything that no one else wanted to know.

As he grew older, it became obvious his obsession with the military was no youthful whim. Although he opened his life to other things—sports, music, cars, girls—he still clung to the military mystique.

When the VCR age hit his house, he’d check out more than “Ghostbusters” and “Back to the Future.” He’d pick up documentaries and wartime films—the kind of movies that make ‘our boys overseas’ look like they’re having a great time.

His book collection grew and grew, including biographies, paperbacks, fiction and whatever else he could get dealing with war. Some, he read over and over. His thirst could not be quenched.

It could only be expected, though. His grandfather had served more than three years overseas in the second world war. His father was in the Marine reserves.

While his grades were good, he decided not to attend college after high school. He went instead to the Naval reserves. After boot camp—in the summer of 1989—he went on to a three-month hospital corpsman school at Great Lakes Naval Base, where he had his basic training.

After graduation, he began classes at NIU. He easily adjusted to the ritual of the “one-weekend-a-month” job that he and so many other college student reservists live. It was a good life. He was studying, making money and “doing his duty.”

On Aug. 2—when Iraq invaded Kuwait—it didn’t seem to mean much. But as the troops began and continued to leave for the sands of Saudi Arabia, Kevin and his family waited for the inevitable.

Months passed and yet there was no word. Three days before Thanksgiving, there was word.

Kevin—who is attached to a Marine division out of Waukegan—was told he would be activated Nov. 30. After scrambling to complete his final exams, he left DeKalb. On Monday, he caught a plane from O’Hare Airport to North Carolina, where he will be stationed for about a month. What happens after that, no one knows.

At this point, the 19-year-old does not want to go to Saudi Arabia, but is enthusiastic and accepting about his responsibilities and will go where he is sent. He’s heard that his unit might be sent to Norway or the Mediterranean Sea, but the desert still seems to be the most likely choice.

If he were here to read this, he’d probably be angry at the sympathetic angle being yanked from his story. During the days he knew he would be leaving, people would tell him “I’m sorry,” and hear Kevin’s response of, “Well, I’m not.”

But he’s not here. And, while he might not admit it, Kevin McGowan wishes he were here. Take care.