My Last 5 Diary Entries

The Three People That Actually Read This

Letter for the kids

This is an email sent back and forth between a mother and a son. The guy�s dad works with my dad. He is in the army and over in Iraq. His mom is a teacher. It brought tears to my eyes because it made me feel proud. Even if you don�t support this war you have to support the people. This story to me is the thread in the fabric that holds us all together. Here is the email from his mom:

Subject: hi son

> Hope this finds you well. I was really disappointed when we got cut
> off on Friday. Hope everything is OK.
>
> I sent some letters to you from some students here at Rural Point
> Elementary. They are really sweet. Some of the boys wanted to know
> things like: What's it like to be in the army? Do you carry a
> weapon? Are you scared? and, (my favorite) how does it feel to be a
> hero?!!!! Do me a favor, and send a general response to the kids to
> my email and I'll send it along to them. Lots of thank you's and
> stuff. Really sweet.
>
> Going out to dinner on Friday with dad, Scott and Carrie. Wish you
> were here.
>
> Dad's going to the Pat's/Steeler game this w/end. He's really
> excited. I guess I'm home alone again. Oh, well.
>
> Hope to hear from you soon. Hey - what's the deal with the missing
> explosives????
>
> Love and prayers, Mom

Here is his reply:

Hey guys,
I want to say thank you for all the letters you been sending over here. Life's pretty tough here but it's easier when you have people thinking of you back home. I know a lot of you have questions about being in the Army. I'll try and answer at least a few of them. Life in the Army is like nothing else you can ever do. The job you do is not only important to you and those you work with, but you also have to consider that you are fighting for the millions of people back home. You have to take the job seriously, but that doesn't mean you can't have some fun too. We try and make the best of it over here. A lot of soldiers have hobbies like playing the guitar, playing XBox and Playstation when they get the chance and watching as many movies as possible. Personally, I'm big into playing cards with friends and watching movies when I get the chance. As for weapons, yes, we all carry them. Some of us have large machine guns that sit on top of our HUMVEE's, others have sniper rifles. I myself carry both an M-16 and a 9mm Pistol. My job can get a little scary sometimes, but for the most part it's not. Mainly I just meet with local Iraqis and talk about how their lives are and how we can help them and maybe they can help us. The other big question is how does it feel to be a hero. To be perfectly honest, I don't feel like I am and I don't think many over here do either. We are soldiers. It's our job to protect others to the best of our ability and sometimes that responsibility can be dangerous. It's who we are. We're proud of what we do and we're honored when someone gives us a simple thank you. I hope that answers your questions, or at least a few of them. Remember, no matter which road you take in life, no matter what job you decide to do, the things you learn now will stay with you forever. Continue to do good in school and good luck. Sincerely, 2LT Frank I. XXXX

I hope this entry finds you all well and safe. I think the safe is partly thanks to Frank.

Love Jackie.

in - out