Roxanne Suson, a Brookfield native and graduate of Brookfield East High School, provides readers with an eclectic mix of topics. Once a trial attorney, now a full-time mom, Roxanne blogs about the happiness, sadness, and absurdity of life and family in the suburbs.
I found out a couple of days ago that a classmate of mine from law school died. He was only 38. His name was Greg Rahoi, and he was from Brookfield.
Greg and I became friends while serving as interns with the Milwaukee County D.A.’s office in our final year of law school. Oddly enough, he never really wanted to be a prosecutor. All he ever talked about was joining the FBI.
After we graduated, he was not able to obtain a position with the FBI. He became a police officer in Madison, but he never stopped reaching for his goal. We lost touch a few years after graduation. The last time I saw him in person was almost ten years ago at a party at my apartment on the east side of Milwaukee. He was one of the last to leave, and I remember him telling me that he thought the guy I was interested in, my now husband, was a nice guy.
Last week, a local television news station reported that Greg had been shot and fatally wounded during a training exercise in Virginia. I searched online and found that at the time of his death he was a Special Agent serving with the FBI Hostage Rescue Team.
His death is tragic, but what I take from his life is a tremendous admiration for his intense, unswerving, single-minded pursuit of his dream. To me, that makes him a hero, although I am sure that in his line of work he accomplished feats that were heroic in the truest sense of the word.
Nearing 40, I look back and realize that I have let some of my dreams go. Sometimes, it was in exchange for another dream. Some just fell by the wayside either out of necessity or neglect, but there are others that are still achievable, with a little hard work, determination, and tenacity. I owe it to myself to go for those dreams, and in some indefinable part, I owe it to my friend Greg whose dream came to an abrupt and sad end. Rest in peace, friend.
Live your dream (or at least try to). Life is short.
