With pomp and circumstance and with a room filled to its rims, the ceremony for retiring Col. Y.T. Pak '83 was as it should be.
At the auditorium at the Asian-Pacific Center for Security Studies, his family sat in the front row.
His son 1st Lt. Jason Pak '11 was there marking a milestone of his own, making this day extra special.
"It happened in the blink of an eye," began Jason.
On December 12, 1st Lt. Pak, while on duty in Afghanistan, stepped on an IED.
In that instant, he lost his legs and two fingers, and broke several bones.
"I will never forget that day. I just wanted him to stay alive," said his father, Ret. Col. Pak.
Survive he did.
Fight he would.