Don’t forget those who serve
- was “stolen” from our platoon and attached as a translator for “certain” military
units, was all over Iraq. He said, unequivocally, that our platoon’s position (the
“Driftwood”) was by far the worst located and least comfortable that he had seen
I remember when I was in Iraq last summer, and our anywhere in Iraq,
platoon received mail and care packages from a few That did not matter. We continued to fortify, patrol, run raids, help with rebuild
grade schools, churches, and social organizations. I ing and reconstruction, and better our own surroundings, bit by bit. We were doing
received a letter from a kid, whose name unfortunate- our jobs. We always found time for smoking and joking, but sometimes the “bum
ly escapes me. The letter, along with my box of joy deal” that fate dishes out, slowly wears you down and chips away at your morale,
containing oatmeal, chips, and candy, was burned in you get speeches and encouragement from all sides, but you can’t help but think
the bum pit by an overzealous Marine on police-call, “what if I was not here.” You go through your daily routine or cycle of days, and
The kid liked cheese. That’s all I learned about him, y OU ij ve f or the next day. Sometimes, an event or object or whatever, will break
since that was all he told me about himself, except your rou tine, and your train of thought.
that he was in the fifth grade, and his teacher thought Then some letter, written in crayon, is thrown at you, full speed, by your squad
it would be a good idea to write to the “soldiers.” I leader at mail call. It’s short and to the
couldn’t hold his use of that - point. y ou rea d it; “I like cheese.” You
dirty little word against him, chuckle, and then you read on, and you
I am sure he did not know the difference between “sol- remember why you serve - for our future,
diers and United States Marines. For me, this letter in crayon was more valu-
The boy didn t write about his friends at school, sib- able for my morale than any speech by any
lings, or parents; he wrote about me, my comrades in official or political opinion leader,
arms, and all of the servicemen and servicewomen “in On deployment, you know your friends
country. He wrote that his teacher said that the troops and family are thinking about you, since
needed as much support as they could get, and the boy you get letters and care packages from
felt that it was his duty as an American to tell me that he them. When you have some complete
was proud of me and all people serving their country, and stranger send you a letter, it means some
that we were all “heroes. ’ thing different, but it is just as important.
To me, this prolific letter, written in crayon, from a very While civilians and semi-civilians (non
patriotic and obviously well-raised and educated child, deployed Reservists and Guardsmen) enjoy
meant a lot. Maybe public schools aren t savage dens of regular routines and time with family and
violence, ignorance, and poor test scores. It was a little friends, there are those who don’t have that
gesture, which the kid probably will not remember when he goes to middle luxury, who are seeing friends injured and killed. That’s something to think about,
school, high school, or thereafter, when he might join the service, choose to find Maybe, when you have some “down time,” you can take some initiative and do
a job, or enroll in college. 'something for them, since they join the service and do their jobs to protect their
The prodigal boy may not remember his letter to me, but I will always remem- families, friends, and you. It doesn’t matter what your political party is, the troops
ber. We were in country about four months, doing the same routine day in and day j n harm’s way are fighting for each other and their country, not politics. They sup
out, and our lives were, well, “sub par.” Lance Corporal “Talibani” - who was, and p ort y o u...you should reciprocate,
remains, the r lintessential definition of the false sterer 'of the “cor Arab”
By MARKO PRIMORAC
Staff Writer