soldiers
Dear friend, This is a letter from a soldier to "people out there" somewhere... maybe people who care... Maybe young people who care about other young people... Me??? I am old.. fifty seven... really old... Who am I ? A chaplain in the United States Army!!! What do I do? I provide "religious support" to the soldiers of the United States who are deploying oversea ( mainly to Iraq) in order to do what they pledged and promised to do. Why have I posted this Blog? Because I am personally involved and deeply affected by the forty thousand soldiers I have deployed to Iraq. That's right! I have stood there on the tarmac, and have faced each soldier face to face, eye ball to eye. And I have reached out and taken their hand in mine, and I have felt the sweat of their bodies, and the beat of their heart, and I have looked directly into their eyes and I have said, " Thank you and God bless you and may God bring you home safe." Friend!, I admit that I do not know you personally. And I admit that I do not know your name. And I admit that I am reaching out to touch you and attempting to connect. And I am admit that I am part of the structure and part of the military and part of the government and part of whatever you want to accuse me of being part of... Nonetheless, I call you "friend" because I need your help... Your brother and sister soldiers are in danger... Yes... they signed on the dotted line Yes... they knew what they were doing when they did it! Yes... they are committed to their understanding of the " American way" and to their understanding of " freedom and democracy". Yes... you may not agree with thier viewpoint... But I am reaching out to you... my friends... Young and old... Veterans of other wars and those who never served. And to you, my friends of the internet... who care about people And about peace... Yes, this blog. is about peace... Please remember that... I am a soldier... I am a chaplain... I provide religious support to soldiers but I love peace.. Really the person who loves peace more than anything is a soldier, or sailor or marine... because they experience death " face to face"... So, my friend... who ever you are and wherever you may be... I am writing you to " GIVE A DAMN!" I am writing you, in order to ask you not to judge your own age group who have chosen to be in the army or the navy or the marines... I am writing to you, in order to ask you to " GIVE A DAMN " about those of your fellow citizens who have chosen to be in the military and to fight... even in a war which may not be clearly defined... Nonetheless, they follow thier conscience and they follow their convictions of " what it means to be a freedom loving American" and they face the bullet... Finally, I am asking you to pray. To give such a " DAMN " as to pray for them. And to pray for the other guy. To pray that peace may prevail. That politics may find a way to prevail. I am not anti political... in fact I love politics because I feel that poilitics is the art of negotiations... that politics is the art of " making things happens" that politics is the art of cooperation, collaboration and collective accomplishment...