Fathers mold their children in a special way. They teach kids all sorts of life skills to carry on, keep them safe and take them where they need to go. Capt. Jason Little, Jr., known as Darrell by his friends and family, was fortunate enough to deploy with his father, Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Little, Sr., 184th Sustainment Command, to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
Jason recalls his son being a well-behaved son who was very much into sports.
"Growing up he was a good kid, always where he was supposed to be, and always did what he was supposed to do. He was very athletic, he was into baseball, football, running, just involved with everything."
Darrell remembers his dad fostering that love for sports.
"Most days when dad got off, we'd throw the baseball out in the yard. We spent many afternoons out in the yard."
The presence of the military was always there in their home, but the family felt the sacrifice servicemembers and their families often feel when Jason deployed during Darrell's senior year.
"Until you really have family in the military, you don't know what it's like to miss a lot of your children's lives and your spouse's time," Jason said. "Of course when you're gone from home, they have to fill in at home and make things work, which can take a toll over the years."
Darrell decided to join after he finished college to help out using what he learned.
"At the time I joined my brother and my father were both in. I didn't decide to join until after law school. That's when I really felt an obligation to serve my country and also use my tools and career as a lawyer to benefit that service."
Jason says that part of what makes Darrell special is his intelligence, among other outstanding qualities.
"He's smart, he's resilient. He has been through trials and tribulations in life and always bounced back flawlessly. Also, He is dependable. He was a good, dependable child growing up. Always where he said he was going to be and always gave 100 percent in everything he did," said Jason.
As for Jason, Darrell says his father's determination is one of his best qualities.
"Determined, caring and supportive. I would say determined because I mean this is his 33rd year in the military. I guess to get that far you have to be determined. Caring because anytime I have an issue with an air conditioner or a vehicle, I can always count on him to come help me out. I would say supportive because any decision I've made throughout my life, he's been 100% supportive of."
His father is so supportive that he chose him for one of the most important moments in his life.
"There's been a lot of proud moments. The proudest moment was two years ago on Father's Day weekend when I got married, I was proud to have Command Sgt. Maj. Little as my best man as I married the love of my life."
Although this is a deployment, Jason and Darrell make sure they get together and catch up when they can.
"It feels awesome. With him being the sergeant major of a large command and with me working military justice, I would almost say we spend more time together back home than out here because we're both so busy," Darrell said. "Sometimes we get to hang out, we'll go to dinner together. I try to stop by his office every few days. Whenever we have some softball games he'll come out and support us."
Some things never change, like commitment to the mission, passion for sports, and the love of father and son.
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