Our dad joined the military right out of high school, proudly dedicating his life to serving his country. He found his passion as a cook in the Forces, and the skills he honed there became a lasting gift to our family—meals made with love and shared around the table. His deployments to places like Afghanistan and Bosnia were never easy for us, and each goodbye carried a weight we all felt deeply. In his final chapter, he faced a two-year battle with multiple myeloma with the same strength and determination he showed in uniform. Though cancer eventually took him from us, his courage, service, and warmth continue to live on in the stories we share and the meals we remember.