- On Nov. 20, two texas brothers, Mylan and Mason Brazel visit their dad’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery for the first time.
- One of them took a nap while the other prayed. The sweet but yet incredibly significant moment was captured in a photo by Their mother, Kait Brazel.
They weren’t just outside enjoying the fall weather — their outing held much more significance than that. The boys were visiting their dad’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery for the first time.
Their father, Army Staff Sgt. Alfred “Fred” Brazel, was just 37 years old when he passed away. He died from Stage 4 rectal cancer on July 31.
Mason, 8, and Mylan, 5, were with their Dad in his fight with cancer. They even joined all of their Dad doctor’s appointments.
Though his family had accepted the reality of Fred’s condition, Kait and Brazel also tried to protect their childhood innocence, according to TODAY.
“We never once addressed it as a sad thing…We as a family lived and continue to live life to the fullest in every moment,” Kait told TODAY. It is their faith that gives them hope to rally from the incident.
“I tell them, ‘We are here as tools for God. God knew that Daddy was a really strong person, and there were some people God couldn’t reach unless he used Daddy as a tool,’” Kait said. “That’s how we went with it and how we justified it. That’s what we believe.”
Despite all that, Kait cried the whole 24 hours long drive to the cemetery. Her two boys, on the other hand, were eager to talk to their daddy.
The two boys both share stories with his dad, Mason told him about his swim competition while Mylan talked about his Halloween party. Mylan also shared that he “felt daddy” and fell asleep near his gravestone.
The connection between father and son is still strong clearly. Before he goes, Mylan still has unfinished business to take care of….
As a sweet goodbye, the young boys hugged Brazel’s gravestone in an attempt to hug “Daddy.”
Mason, as the bigger brother has tried to pass on what he’s learned to his younger brother.
Kait told ABC News, “Mason remembers a lot about his dad and how he raised him to be confident and very goal-oriented. He’s been teaching Mylan the same, saying to him, ‘This is how Daddy would do it.’”
We hope for the best for this family and may this holiday season bring them together and help them heal.