Pensamientos

The Army's massive troop rotation in Iraq is underway. Some soldiers have arrived at home while others have gone to Iraq as replacements. My son Paul, a 4th ID soldier will be coming home within the next month. It has been a long and trying year for our family and Paul's wife and two small daughters. This is a photo of Paul in Iraq. I was thinking about an e-mail that I read from another soldier to his wife around Thanksgiving. He expressed the sentiments that my son and many other soldiers feel about their tour of duty in Iraq. I'll share it here: A Soldier Reflects on Thanksgiving This is an email received by the wife of a HHC/3-66 Armor soldier: It is the day after Thanksgiving here in Iraq, and I have time to reflect on yesterday. Many would wonder what I as a soldier have to be thankful for. True, the separation from my wife and two beautiful daughters is rough, but it is something I chose to do a little over eleven years ago. You see I am thankful that I can be a part of something bigger than myself, that I can volunteer to ensure that a terrorist, who believes his ideology should be violently imposed on all peoples around the world, will never see his goal. I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to raise my right hand and pledge my life in my nations defense. I am very thankful that I have a wife and children that support what I do. They have endured having their lives uprooted, shook up and interrupted. They watch the news with dread hoping not to see any negative news from my corner of the world. Yet they never waver in their commitment to me. My Wife and my children are my heroes and I am thankful beyond everything else for their support. I am thankful for the soldiers around me, going through the same thing I am going through. I feel a kinship with my fellow soldiers here with me and feel a responsibility to them. I honestly feel that I did spend my Thanksgiving with a large part of my family, here in Iraq. Over the past eight months we have developed a bond that can never really be explained to someone that hasn't been through what we have been through. We have been through many attacks, many problems, some tragedies, and many victories together. Through it all we have stood side-by-side, ready to give our lives in each other's defense. Regardless of what I hear on the news, regardless of the political spin put on the everyday occurrences here, I am convinced we have done the right thing. I have seen the opulent palaces Saddam constructed while his people suffered. I have seen the effects of Saddam skimming funds off the top of the Oil for Food Program and thirty-five years of abuse the people of Iraq endured. I am more convinced now that we did the right thing. You see I chose this life over eleven years ago. I had the freedom to decide if I wanted to commit to this life, I have had many chances to enter civilian life but I chose to remain. I feel that I am part of something more important than myself, something that needs to be done and I believe that if I don't do it than who will. Recently I participated in the Rest and Recuperation leave program that is being offered to as many troops as possible over here. While I was home, I was exposed to very little positive press reporting from Iraq, there were no stories of the advances we have made rebuilding schools, reestablishing the electrical system, and bringing water plants back to life so they treat more water than before the war. I grew so frustrated with the news reports that my wife actually banned me from watching the news. A few days before Thanksgiving Fox news sent a crew up here that included LTC Oliver North, he reported on some positive advances we have made here and that was refreshing. He was here when we first deployed and found the advances we had made in this corner of Iraq truly a success story. LTC North was here as we were invited to share in three days of traditional feasts called Eid-Al-Fitr with our Iraqi friends at the end of Ramadan. If the Iraqis opposed us being here, they never would have invited us to participate with them in Eid-Al-Fitr. Yes a few terrorists that believe they can bring a defunct regime back to power still attack us. These terrorists have everything to lose now that Saddam isn't in power. They will not win; they will only sacrifice their lives for no reason. Saddam's regime is dead and gone, blown away by the wind. I have been told by several Iraqis that Saddam will never return, that if they ever saw him they would kill him themselves for what he had done to their nation and denied them for so long. You see it is hard to explain why we choose to be soldiers, we know that at anytime we could be faced with life or death situations, we know the risks, we were not drafted into service; we chose this mantel of responsibility freely. I am proud to be a soldier in Iraq. I am proud to serve my nation, earn my battle stripes defending my nation, and ensure the freedom we enjoy with my life. I could have followed a different path; those of you that knew me in High School remember a longhaired kid that really expressed no interest in the military. In fact I was probably believed to be the least likely to join the military. I am thankful for so many things, some of them here in this letter, some of them deep within my heart. I hope you can understand now that I am Thankful for every experience, every problem I have encountered, and every freedom that we enjoy. I am thankful I have been given the opportunity to represent my country, and ensure that you have the freedom you deserve. I hope this sheds some light on why, even through this holiday season, I am not depressed and I do not feel like I am in the wrong place. I know that this is where I need to be, to do my duty. Remember us in your prayers, remember that we are out here, but also remember that this is the life we chose. We will be home soon. ==================