TheBlackHand
05-03-2004, 05:44 PM
Thought I'd post this here. It's somewhat personal so I've rubbed out the names (since you aren't "family", far as I know).
Hey, this is ****. I typed this letter that we recieved from ******* on last friday. It is complete and unabridged. He called from Iraq monday morning at 5:30 am. He was very depressed and told mom that if you all sent any mail, he doesn't know if he will recieve it since their mail truck was blown up. But he asks for many prayers and would like everyone to write to him. Send this letter to whom among the family that you like.
Here is the letter:
Somewhere, Iraq
March 24, ‘04
Dear Dad and Mom,
How are things going? You been busy with all the warm weather? I’m kidding, I have no clue what kink of weather you’ve all been having. We have been traveling, rehearsing our first mission. We carried it out perfectly and no one got hurt. Thank God, because I know he personally saved our colonel. We got to our FOB the day before yesterday. It’s am old Iraqi Army training camp. We get mortar fire every night, and sporadic small arms attack. Usually they are pretty ineffective but we have had 2 casualties already in the division/regiment. Don’t worry, please, we will be just fine. We have it pretty nice. I have a bed and 2 hot meals a day. We don’t really have a schedule. Right now we are the guard for our FOB. It’s pretty exciting and fairly safe. The younger new guys are chomping on the bit, begging to go out into the towns. They don’t know what they are asking. I will be perfectly happy to do guard for the whole time we are over here and go home alive. I told the 1st Sergeant today that regardless of what we do we go home with the same amount of money!! But knowing our CO, this won’t last for long. He won’t be happy til he has half the company wearing purple hearts.
You know Mom and Dad, I don’t understand why the people hate us so much. Most of them don’t want us here, which is understandable. But to cut off the hand that feeds you or waves at you, to blow up and burn the face that smiles at you, I didn’t think people were capable of such hatred but they are. Our only friends over here seem to be the children, who are simple enough to see the truth. It’s so hard to see Americans get killed and them not to open up on those standing around watching as if it were amusing. I want to hate these people, all of them, but I know that most of them probably had nothing to do with it.
Well I just got back. We had a rocket blow up outside the wall. It pisses me off. We go out there, identify it and that’s it. The bastard gets away. We had better do something to permanently remedy their lives, or they will eventually take their toll. I say we put ambushes out there for their dumb asses but who am I?
Tell *****, I said Happy B-day, and I can’t believe she’s 23. It seems yesterday that we were 10 and 11, running around to horse shows. I really miss her and ***** a lot. I think it would take weeks getting caught up on all that has happened since we were 14, etc. doing ***** homework in our rooms, gathering in the green room to dream about our futures while Mom was on the phone.
Anyway I just got down in a bad mood. The way the officers are running things around here is pissing me off so bad. Everything is politics. We aren’t allowed to do our jobs because they are afraid to get casualties. If that happens they are afraid public support will go down and we will be pulled out. But I ask them, what is the use of sitting here taking fire and dong nothing offensive? The best defense is a good offense. They will just keep doing this **** if they think there is no consequence to be paid. Oh well like I said, I didn’t go to OCS, I don’t wear bars on my collar, therefore I am not entitled to my opinion. You know how it is dad. All I have to say is “Another Vietnam.”
Well in Kuwait, right before our convoy pushed north, our division chaplain came out and said Mass, had an awesome homily on the prodigal son, and then I was able to go to confession. The next day March 20-21 we crossed the LOD into Iraq, the exact same day we crossed last year to kick off the war. If felt so good you can’t believe, after confession. We don’t get the opportunities you think we do. And for all those people that say Marines are dumb, ruthless killers, that hate religion and morals; you have no clue how wrong they are. These guys are some of the most sincere, dedicated, sacrificing, MEN I have ever seen in the world. Maybe these men don’t receive Holy Communion everyday but they live according to their conscience, worship the God who they met face to face on the battlefield, and believe me, that is the real God. They put their lives on the line everyday, being treated like dogs, living like animals, for their fellow Americans who don’t give a **** about them. The only other person I can think of who does that is the Pope and priests and nuns. Yes that is how highly I think of Marines and any infantry, as far as that goes.
Well I am sorry for making you listen to all my bitches and complaints but I like to put this on paper because it gets it off my chest. Thank you for listening.
Mom and Dad if anything happens to me, I want you to know that this is how I wanted it to be, with the best group of guys I’ve ever known and fighting enemies of America and Christianity. What else is there worth dying for? I think God put me here for a reason. I just hope He don’t take me too soon. I want to do what He put me here for first. But know that I am happy here and am trying my hardest to serve God and Country with all the gifts He’s given me.
Please pray for me, you are both in my prayers (yes I do pray). Tell the kids hi and I will be home soon. Dad you had better practice your pool. I was getting pretty good in Okinawa!!
Oh! Tell the Knights thanks a million! We got prayer books given to us from the knights, they are really, really good!
Got to go. Mortars again! Bye
Love Your Son,
*******
Gives you some impression of what happens when.
Blowing up the mail truck?! Gah! Dastardly bastards.
Personally, I lost my religion during the first Gulf War. I guess it affects everyone differently. Whatever it takes to get you through.
They don't hate us because we're Christians or Jews. I'm neither. They hate us becuase we're not Muslim. The kid's don't know that yet. They'll learn.
Hey, this is ****. I typed this letter that we recieved from ******* on last friday. It is complete and unabridged. He called from Iraq monday morning at 5:30 am. He was very depressed and told mom that if you all sent any mail, he doesn't know if he will recieve it since their mail truck was blown up. But he asks for many prayers and would like everyone to write to him. Send this letter to whom among the family that you like.
Here is the letter:
Somewhere, Iraq
March 24, ‘04
Dear Dad and Mom,
How are things going? You been busy with all the warm weather? I’m kidding, I have no clue what kink of weather you’ve all been having. We have been traveling, rehearsing our first mission. We carried it out perfectly and no one got hurt. Thank God, because I know he personally saved our colonel. We got to our FOB the day before yesterday. It’s am old Iraqi Army training camp. We get mortar fire every night, and sporadic small arms attack. Usually they are pretty ineffective but we have had 2 casualties already in the division/regiment. Don’t worry, please, we will be just fine. We have it pretty nice. I have a bed and 2 hot meals a day. We don’t really have a schedule. Right now we are the guard for our FOB. It’s pretty exciting and fairly safe. The younger new guys are chomping on the bit, begging to go out into the towns. They don’t know what they are asking. I will be perfectly happy to do guard for the whole time we are over here and go home alive. I told the 1st Sergeant today that regardless of what we do we go home with the same amount of money!! But knowing our CO, this won’t last for long. He won’t be happy til he has half the company wearing purple hearts.
You know Mom and Dad, I don’t understand why the people hate us so much. Most of them don’t want us here, which is understandable. But to cut off the hand that feeds you or waves at you, to blow up and burn the face that smiles at you, I didn’t think people were capable of such hatred but they are. Our only friends over here seem to be the children, who are simple enough to see the truth. It’s so hard to see Americans get killed and them not to open up on those standing around watching as if it were amusing. I want to hate these people, all of them, but I know that most of them probably had nothing to do with it.
Well I just got back. We had a rocket blow up outside the wall. It pisses me off. We go out there, identify it and that’s it. The bastard gets away. We had better do something to permanently remedy their lives, or they will eventually take their toll. I say we put ambushes out there for their dumb asses but who am I?
Tell *****, I said Happy B-day, and I can’t believe she’s 23. It seems yesterday that we were 10 and 11, running around to horse shows. I really miss her and ***** a lot. I think it would take weeks getting caught up on all that has happened since we were 14, etc. doing ***** homework in our rooms, gathering in the green room to dream about our futures while Mom was on the phone.
Anyway I just got down in a bad mood. The way the officers are running things around here is pissing me off so bad. Everything is politics. We aren’t allowed to do our jobs because they are afraid to get casualties. If that happens they are afraid public support will go down and we will be pulled out. But I ask them, what is the use of sitting here taking fire and dong nothing offensive? The best defense is a good offense. They will just keep doing this **** if they think there is no consequence to be paid. Oh well like I said, I didn’t go to OCS, I don’t wear bars on my collar, therefore I am not entitled to my opinion. You know how it is dad. All I have to say is “Another Vietnam.”
Well in Kuwait, right before our convoy pushed north, our division chaplain came out and said Mass, had an awesome homily on the prodigal son, and then I was able to go to confession. The next day March 20-21 we crossed the LOD into Iraq, the exact same day we crossed last year to kick off the war. If felt so good you can’t believe, after confession. We don’t get the opportunities you think we do. And for all those people that say Marines are dumb, ruthless killers, that hate religion and morals; you have no clue how wrong they are. These guys are some of the most sincere, dedicated, sacrificing, MEN I have ever seen in the world. Maybe these men don’t receive Holy Communion everyday but they live according to their conscience, worship the God who they met face to face on the battlefield, and believe me, that is the real God. They put their lives on the line everyday, being treated like dogs, living like animals, for their fellow Americans who don’t give a **** about them. The only other person I can think of who does that is the Pope and priests and nuns. Yes that is how highly I think of Marines and any infantry, as far as that goes.
Well I am sorry for making you listen to all my bitches and complaints but I like to put this on paper because it gets it off my chest. Thank you for listening.
Mom and Dad if anything happens to me, I want you to know that this is how I wanted it to be, with the best group of guys I’ve ever known and fighting enemies of America and Christianity. What else is there worth dying for? I think God put me here for a reason. I just hope He don’t take me too soon. I want to do what He put me here for first. But know that I am happy here and am trying my hardest to serve God and Country with all the gifts He’s given me.
Please pray for me, you are both in my prayers (yes I do pray). Tell the kids hi and I will be home soon. Dad you had better practice your pool. I was getting pretty good in Okinawa!!
Oh! Tell the Knights thanks a million! We got prayer books given to us from the knights, they are really, really good!
Got to go. Mortars again! Bye
Love Your Son,
*******
Gives you some impression of what happens when.
Blowing up the mail truck?! Gah! Dastardly bastards.
Personally, I lost my religion during the first Gulf War. I guess it affects everyone differently. Whatever it takes to get you through.
They don't hate us because we're Christians or Jews. I'm neither. They hate us becuase we're not Muslim. The kid's don't know that yet. They'll learn.