To say Justin Sisson was a great man would be a bit of an understatement. From the moment I first meet him he conveyed greatness. I only knew Justin for a brief two years or so, and am very jealous of those who knew him one second longer. Though I did not know Justin for long it did not take much time, at all, for anyone to discover his true character. He was genuine through and through with everyone he met. He was a great friend, cadet, leader, and fellow Pershing Rifleman. I was very fortunate to run into him one last time during his deployment leave. It was a Sunday morning in April. I woke up late for church. I got up and started getting ready, but surprisingly not in a hurry. So by the time I was ready and half way to church I was already about 20 mins late. Lake Ella was close so I decided to go there instead to walk and think. I got out of my car and as I walked toward the sidewalk I looked down the street and there was Justin Sisson. I was not expecting him in Tallahassee, let alone Lake Ella. He was supposed to be at FT. Campbell? With what I’m sure was nothing less than a shocked expression I waved and said “Hey. What are you doing here?” He smiled, gave me a hug, and said he was there for a run (of course). I then asked him what he was doing in Tallahassee and he told me about his deployment leave and the people he was visiting. We spoke a few more words and then he went about his run and I my walk. After passing me 3 or 4 times he stopped and sat down at one of the benches. Once I got to the bench, I joined him. We talked for a few mins. We spoke about the upcoming commissioning and how it was unfortunate that he would miss it because of his upcoming deployment. He also mentioned some of the great officers that would be coming from the class of 2013. He also informed me that he had hurt his knee during some training. I looked at him with yet another shocked face and said, “Why are you running on it then?” He smiled and shrugged it off as a light run that would stretch it out. Looking back at that moment I believe it really captures the most important elements of who Justin really was. He was the best that he could be and put forth 100% and more at all times, while as always remaining gracious and humble. He was always friendly and helpful; never talked down to others; and was always encouraging. I can’t recall anyone ever saying one negative word about him. He was looked up to by all who were around him and he is defiantly at the top of my role model list.
At the end of our talk I stood up to leave. I told him it was great to see him and to be safe. With God’s help I believe everyone sort of collects people throughout their lives. The good, the bad, and the ugly; Family, friends, acquaintance, and so on. And as I look out into this audience I see all of the people Justin has “collected” throughout his life, and from what I can tell he did some pretty good collecting. We are all gathered here today to remember him and celebrate his life, and what better way to honor his memory than for those he “collected” to gather together to remember him. While there is not enough time today, at this event, for everyone to share their memories of Justin; I would encourage everyone who knew him, no matter how brief, to get together and share their stories and in this way Justin will not only be a hero always remembered, but legend that will never die.
Cadet Amy