Mr Sledge,

Thank you sincerely, for your service to our country. And thank you for sharing this with us.

What a beautifully written letter. As a daughter, I would have loved to receive such a letter. Your daughter will too. You shared a deep part of your heart with her and she will treasure it. What a fine example you will be to her of what an honorable man looks like.

To those who seem offended by what they perceive in the letter as a man assuming a girl cannot think for herself…NOTHING could be farther from the truth. This father is lovingly expressing his desire to give his daughter wisdom from a man’s perspective…something all daughters could benefit from.

If we are honest with ourselves as women, we can all look back to a guy that we gave a part of our heart to that did not deserve it. A guy who was not what we thought. A guy who took advantage of our trust. This father knows his daughter will face someone like that in the future and only wants to protect her…to help her recognize him so she will avoid him. To help her see what a man of character and honor is.

This father wants nothing more than to see his daughter with someone that will deserve her trust, her respect and her love.

Mr Sledge, I too am waiting for the day when I get to meet the man my daughter chooses to give her heart to. I wrote a letter to him when my daughter was only 2 years old. She is now 28. I expressed that I hoped he was being raised by a father that was teaching him by example how to respect, cherish and love a woman. I hope you are treating your daughter’s mother the way you want a man to treat your daughter one day. That example will stay with her forever.

Thank you again for sharing this. It brought tears to my eyes and put a little more hope in my heart that men of honor are not things of the past.