One sweet World

Image courtesy: World family/WGRZ-TV

I have spent a lot of time in Buffalo, New York. It is a unique area of the country filled with hard-working Americans who love family, food, and sports. Thick skin is another common trait, as enduring the frigid winds and deep snow of a western New York winter is no easy task.

Unfortunately, I never had the honor of meeting one of Buffalo’s finest citizens, Sgt. Frank World. He was a good son, caring husband, brave Marine, and perhaps most importantly, a proud father. According to The Buffalo News, his daughter, Lilly World, was born on January 6. Lou Michel's article said the Marine nicknamed his new child 'Lilly-Bear,' and couldn't wait to hug and kiss her for the first time after finishing his deployment to Afghanistan.

In a tragedy for the World family and the city of Buffalo, Lilly will grow up learning about her father through stories, pictures, and prayers. A Pentagon release this afternoon said Sgt. World, 25, was killed on Thursday in Afghanistan's Helmand province. A fellow Marine, Lance Cpl. Tyler Griffin, 19, was also killed while supporting combat operations. The Unknown Soldiers will write more about Lance Cpl. Griffin in the days to come.

World's wife is still coming to grips with a loss few of us can comprehend. The couple also has a 3-year-old son, Jacob, who they began raising while the Marine was stationed at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune. They moved back home to Buffalo, where they met, to be near family and friends. The grieving wife told The Buffalo News that even in her final conversation with her husband, he wouldn't stop talking about seeing his little girl's sweet smile in person.

"We talked about how he couldn't wait to come home and meet his daughter," she said.

Afghanistan was not the Marine's first deployment to a war zone. He served honorably in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2008, accomplishing a lifelong goal of becoming a United States Marine.

"My brother was solid in his faith and firm in his beliefs, so there is no doubt that he is our angel up above watching down on us," Larry World said.

I don’t know what kind of music Frank and Beth World listened to together during quiet nights together at Camp Lejeune or in Buffalo. But I couldn’t get the opening chords and lyrics of Dave Matthews Band’s 'One Sweet World' out of my head while writing this story.

Nine planets round the sun
Only one does the sun embrace
Upon this watered one
So much we take for granted
So let us sleep outside tonight
Lay down in our mother's arms
For here we can rest safely

We know Sgt. Frank World will always watch over his wife and son, and especially the daughter he never got to meet. At the same time, Lilly World will grow up knowing her father helped shape our planet, by laying down his life to protect it from evil.