Former ABC-7 reporter shares emotional tribute to father’s military legacy
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — This Veteran’s Day, former ABC-7 reporter and veteran Crista V. Mack is remembering her father, who served in the U.S. Army.
Mack is a U.S. Air Force veteran who transitioned to news as a multi-media journalist at ABC-7. She now works with Fort Bliss Garrison Public Affairs.
She shared a special message for her father with ABC-7:
I may never march with the infantry. Dear dad, it’s been 131 days since you died. And I may never fly over the enemy, but I’m in the Lord. God. I tell stories for a living. But for this Veteran’s Day, I want to do something different with yours. I want to tell it not as a reporter, not using a broadcaster’s voice, but simply as me. As your daughter, Crista.
You were born in Sonora, Mexico, poor and practically perilous. You joined the U.S. Army as an immigrant looking for shelter and regular meals along the way. You found a purpose. You earned your American citizenship and built a life from almost nothing. You paved the way for us to follow because of you, dad. Your children wore the uniform and served this country.
Your life is proof that the American dream is possible. Your story matters. Especially to William, Isabella and Amir. They might not understand it now, but they and generations after them need to know where they come from. They need to know what you overcame, what you sacrificed, and what you made possible for them. But dad, I’m sad. I just cry.
I’m trying to be a good mom, a good daughter, sister, coworker, friend. But people have left me when I needed them, and it seemed so easy for them to just walk away.
Dad! I’m drowning. I know God sees me, but I feel unseen. I feel unloved, and I feel defenseless. I wish I could call you. I walk in your Crocs.
I sit in your closet. When I’m back home I listen to your voicemail just to hear you speak. Can I get to the former now? Please leave your message. Thank you. Goodbye. I keep trying to find some way to feel close to you, but nothing is helping me. I want to ask you how you made it through the hard days.
Because long before I understood what strength looked like, you were living it. Your story doesn’t end with you. It lives in us and in our children present. Oh, you made the American dream possible for us.
You always told us nothing is easy and nothing is free. And we’ll carry that forward.
Before I end, there’s something I want to explain. I know you’ve never liked my professional name, Crista Mack. It’s the name I’ve spent my journalism career signing off as. So for this story, I want to sign off with the name you gave me. The name that connects me to you and the legacy you leave behind.
Always your daughter, Crista Osorio, Fort Bliss Garrison Public Affairs.
Love you, Dad.
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