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The following letters were written by soldiers in the 369th

Dad,
Well, I am no longer in Camp Arifjan, Camp Virginia, or even Kuwait. I am right now, smack dab in the middle of Iraq in the Sunni Triangle.
We convoyed up here (about 30 of us) to set up our company area for when the rest of the unit arrives.
In the midst of downtown Baghdad, I realized something. I am 19 years old and rather then worrying about where the next party is this weekend or what movie I want to see tonight, I am worrying about how to keep myself alive. Everyday puts us in a life or death situation and just on this 3 day convoy I have learned so much about myself and the U.S. I have seen things that have shocked me to the core and I've only been here two weeks.
The poverty that people live in is unbelievable. Poor people in America drive cars. Poor people here send their kids out into the roads to run in front of convoys in order to stop our vehicles so they can beg food off of us or steal it from the sides of our trucks. Poor people in America are fat from the benefits of welfare. Poor people here are so hungry they are searching through trash on the sides of the road, collecting what they can for their family. They are living in mud huts, their main assets are the skinny cow roped to a tree out front and the small garden they made out of what fertile soil they can find. All the media shows us back in America are the people of Baghdad. They do not show what us truckers see as we are driving down the roads in central Iraq. Poverty runs rampant. I have decided no matter how bad it gets here, I am here for the right reason.
I had a civilian contractor in Camp Arifjan at the motor pool tell me after a long conversation, that there is nothing in the world worth dying for.
He tried to convince me that nothing is worth your own life. I looked at him and all I could say was "Then what do you live for?"
I look at these people and as much as I hate to think of it, I realized that these marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have died during this war and the aftermath have not died and should never be considered as dying for nothing. What we are fighting for are the lives of thousands and thousands of men, women, and children. No they are not Americans but they are human beings. America is a very powerful country and I was once told that with power comes responsibility. It is our responsibility to help those who can't help themselves and if that means that we must die to improve their way of life then that is what we must do. I knew I would be a changed person when I returned from this deployment but I never suspected that I would feel so different so quickly.
There I was standing in the middle of a market street in downtown Baghdad and it hurt to see all these little kids running to me, putting their fingers to their lips trying to show me that they wanted food. And even while I felt so bad for them and wanted to give them everything I had, I found myself pointing straight at a little four year old and yelling at him to get back, stay back. It is so hard, and when we are driving in convoys and the little kids come running up to the vehicles giving us the thumbs up sign I try very hard to wave and smile at all of them, thinking in the back of my head that it might make up for those times that I have to be the soldier and think of my safety and my units safety before I think of the welfare of those starving children.
I wish there was some way for every American to see what we've seen and are going to see, maybe then they'll go home and not complain about the broken TV because it means they have electricity, or the leaking plumbing because it means they have running potable water, or the high prices they had to pay for groceries because it means that they have the ability to purchase food for their family rather then scrounge through garbage and send their children out begging.
Already I have discovered so much about life and how damn lucky we are to be Americans.
I can only imagine what the next year will bring for me.
Love you , Tamra
 

Hello My Dear Friends and Family,
I'm on detail managing the Internet Center here... (It's a real tough duty, but I'm surviving!!!) So I have plenty of time to write. I want to take this opportunity to share some more of my thoughts with you. Being able to communicate with you this way, gives me an outlet for many of my thoughts and feelings inspired by events and experiences surrounding my current circumstances.
I never really understood why I've always had the impulse to join the Army, until recently. As a kid I always played army with my friends, but never quite worked the whole, "Getting up at 2:30am to the sound of my Platoon Sergeant banging on my door, telling me to get my gear and vehicle ready for a Hot Mission!", into my childhood fantasies. Yet, unknowingly, our Great God had been molding my character through a multitude of incredible life experiences in order to become the soldier that I am today. I say this, because I love this experience. People think I'm nuts, but I really do.
I have never been more successful at anything else I've ever undertaken in my life. Perhaps it's attributed to my highly adaptive nature, but it's pretty apparent to me that this was a big part of God's plan. He put me on the path of least resistance and all I had to do was raise my right hand and pledge to defend every right and privilege that we enjoy as Americans. Don't get me wrong, the last couple years since then has been no "walk in the park" and I've had many challenges, but I've stayed steadfast in my Faith overcoming all obstacles with overwhelming success.
I graduated Basic Training and AIT in the top 1 percent of my class holding the rank of Private First Class, came home and was promoted to Specialist a couple weeks later. About a month after that I was deployed the first time for 3 months and came home. About 6 or 7 months after that I was again laterally promoted to Corporal and made a Squad Leader. Another couple months goes by and I'm again Promoted to Sergeant and put in an Assistant Squad Leader position while actually deploying to Iraq. Although I take pride in these accomplishments, I'm not trying to get on a pedestal or say that I'm the best thing since sliced bread for the Army. Without a shadow of doubt, I feel that God wants me here and is fashioning me into some kind of leader and perhaps for another purpose,  all I need to do is maintain my faith in Him and keep going forward. While constantly maintaining this attitude, I can't find a good enough excuse to worry about the potential hazards of my job.
I think that it's easy to have Faith, but hard to keep hold of it when the water gets rough and the boat is about to sink. You see, when Fear, Doubt, and or Worry, begin to creep into my heart, I do the opposite of what mind wants me to do. Instead of going below deck or bailing out, I get on top the mast where I can see clearly and charge forward with a growing intensity until I'm in the calm waters again. I think that Faith is the part of me that helps me know I'll be alright and the waters will be calm again. Every storm after becomes a little bit easier to deal with.
I know that I'm writing a lot, but somehow writing helps me organize my thoughts and feelings with clarity and I'm hopeful that you find it interesting enough to continue reading. No material object can even begin to compare with the value I place on my insights, stemming from a vast cascade of life experiences that I've had.
Like every other Soldier, every day I am faced with the reality that this day could be my last. After a time, one begins to realize that only the things in his/her heart and mind truly, have any real value at all. One knows that they are the only things that he/she will take with him/her when they leave this life behind. I know that this subject is nobodies favorite, so this will be the only time I'll write about it. I just want to let you know...
We all have our differing opinions about being here, but the cause for which I fight, Freedom and Justice, is the most worthy duty I have ever undertaken. I carry the flag on my right shoulder with the greatest pride and sense of purpose, while continuing to uphold the legacy of our Forefathers and the Patriots who have honorably served before me. If the unexpected were to happen to me, just have Faith and rest assured that I've done my part in keeping the Great American Dream alive and that is and has been an honor!
You see, the other day I attended a memorial service for a fallen Soldier in my Battalion. He had a wife and two children, one of which was pretty new. This soldier did his part, and I would challenge every American to take some time and consider his sacrifice. I would have them set a side there differences, for which they have every right to have, and consider whether or not they can come together to help support our troops, nation, and what we stand for, so that his and every other soldiers sacrifice would not be in vain. I guarantee, that pledging allegiance to your soldiers is much easier to do, than the pledges we've made and uphold for you!
Thank you for taking the time to read this very long email. I am eternally grateful for the continued support you have shown me and for your constant prayer... Trust me when I say that they have been answered on many occasions already. In conclusion: This was sent to me by a soldier from my home unit who is attached to another unit and is also in Iraq... I copied the text from the website and pasted it here.
Your Soldier,
SGT Kiley

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To see the actual site, goto
http://www.fathershands.com/finalinspection/ ...