A Serviceman's Letter Home

[AffectionateDan]

Ya know, this one kinda got me right *there*, so I had to share. Let's all hope this is over soon so our boys and girls can come home to the families they're serving.
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We may not support this war, but we should support our Men and Women who are sacrificing their lives for us.



This guy is from Las Vegas. His letter was published in the Las Vegas newspaper on Friday and received an amazing response......

Subject: Letter to Mom


A California mother whose son is right now in Kuwait poised to knock Saddam's block off, wrote her son asking how he would feel if she joined other relatives of service members in an anti-war demonstration in Hollywood last month. After reading her son's response, she elected not to participate.

Dear Mom,

It's really your decision to march if you want to or not. You are the one who has to decide if what we are doing out here is right or not. My opinion is not yours.

I do, however, have things I would like for you and Grandma and everyone else at home to know.

I am a United States soldier. I was sworn to defend my country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. People may not agree with the things we are ordered to do. I would like to address those people by telling them that terrorism is not only a threat to us as Americans, but to many other innocent people in the world.

What type of country would we be if we didn't defend the rights and freedoms of others, not because they're Americans, but how about just because they're human?

We live in a country where people feel secure with their daily lives. They do business like usual and don't worry about the thought of terrorism actually happening to them.

The people of 9-11 thought the same thing. We now know that it can happen to anyone at any time.

Yet as Americans we're afraid of losing our soldiers to defend our security. I can only speak for myself when I say that my life is an easy expense to ensure that my family and friends can live in peace.

I strongly believe in what we are doing and wish you were here to see for yourselves the honor and privilege that American soldiers aboard this ship are feeling, knowing that we are going to be a part of something so strong and so meaningful to the safety of our loved ones. Then you would know what this potential war is about.

We will stand tall in front of terrorism and defeat it. We as soldiers are not afraid of what may happen. We are only afraid of Americans not being able to understand why we are here.

I ask for your courage as Americans to be strong for us; I ask for your understanding in what we believe is right. I ask for your support in what we are sworn to do: defend our country and the life of all.

We will succeed in our task and will end the threat of terrorism in our back yard. We will also end the threat of terrorism in our neighbors'.

We have to remind ourselves of what this country stands for: life, liberty and justice for all. In order to maintain those rights we have to stop the threat of terrorism.

I am proud to be here. I will be coming home, but not until I know that it's going to be safe for all Americans and for everyone I love.

My family is first. My country is where they live. I will defend it.


Lonnie J. Lewis
Navy corpsman
C Co. 1/4 WPN PLT
UIC 39726
FPO AP 966139726

P.S. Mom, please send this to everyone who has a hard time understanding why we are here. Ask the paper to put what I've said in a column so that others will know why we are here and what we are here for.

I love you all and will be home soon. I left my address so that if anyone feels like writing to let me know how they feel, they can.

 

[milagros317]

It got me right *there* also, Dan. Thanks for posting. 🙂

 

[luv2bt&tickled]

It got me right *there* also, Dan. Thanks for posting. 🙂

Got me too Dan, right *there*! Thank you for posting it for us! 🙂

 

[amk714]

Nice letter, all I will say is that I hope our troops don't suffer too many more casualties, and I wish I could believe this war really is about stopping terrorism and liberating Iraq, which I of course support.

 

[Limeoutsider]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing!

 

[AffectionateDan]

As always, it's my pleasure to share

Just keep them in your hearts and minds, and let's all hope this ends faster than the first one.

 

[theallknowing1]

Smells Fishy, like propaganda

Subject: Letter to Mom



Dear Mom,

We live in a country where people feel secure with their daily lives. They do business like usual and don't worry about the thought of terrorism actually happening to them.
The people of 9-11 thought the same thing. We now know that it can happen to anyone at any time.

(Only naive people believe in the Invincible America. This naivety was a major factor in the success of the 9-11 attacks.)

Yet as Americans we're afraid of losing our soldiers to defend our security. I can only speak for myself when I say that my life is an easy expense to ensure that my family and friends can live in peace.

I strongly believe in what we are doing and wish you were here to see for yourselves the honor and privilege that American soldiers aboard this ship are feeling, knowing that we are going to be a part of something so strong and so meaningful to the safety of our loved ones. Then you would know what this potential war is about.

We will stand tall in front of terrorism and defeat it. We as soldiers are not afraid of what may happen. We are only afraid of Americans not being able to understand why we are here.

(Invincible America complex again)


We will succeed in our task and will end the threat of terrorism in our back yard. We will also end the threat of terrorism in our neighbors'.
I am proud to be here. I will be coming home, but not until I know that it's going to be safe for all Americans and for everyone I love.

(Invincible America complex, yet once again)


My family is first. My country is where they live. I will defend it.

(This sounds like something that a Speech writer would write, not a soldier)


Lonnie J. Lewis
Navy corpsman
C Co. 1/4 WPN PLT
UIC 39726
FPO AP 966139726

P.S. Mom, please send this to everyone who has a hard time understanding why we are here. Ask the paper to put what I've said in a column so that others will know why we are here and what we are here for.

I love you all and will be home soon. I left my address so that if anyone feels like writing to let me know how they feel, they can.

As you can see from my comments, this letter appears to be more of something that would be written for a presidential speech by a political speech writer rather than a soldier. Many things in it are unbelievable, and others are purely naive. Overall this smells/looks more like propaganda than a true "concerned" letter home.

 

[TKpervert]

Theallknowing1

you disappoint me.

 

[theallknowing1]

Re: Theallknowing1

you disappoint me.

You Honestly think that is a real letter and not propaganda. I think its interesting that positive letters get published but negative ones don't. I suppose that is a coincidence too.

 

[TKpervert]

Re: Re: Theallknowing1

You Honestly think that is a real letter and not propaganda. I think its interesting that positive letters get published but negative ones don't. I suppose that is a coincidence too.

Yes I think it's a real letter. There's hundreds if not thousands of G.I.s in the Gulf with the necessary smarts and insight to craft a letter like this.

Don't try to invent a conspriracy where none exists.

 

[AffectionateDan]

Some people just live to stir the pot...

...Looking for negativity in everything. Feel free to write the sailor at the address included and ASK him if he really wrote it, along with your sincere thanks for his serving his country to preserve your right to trash everything. Or would that be too much like work? Far easier to twist the tiger's tail while safely ensconced behind your computer, isn't it?

 

[theallknowing1]

Things that sound too good to be true usually are

First of all, the military is a carreer, so anyone in the military is either there because they choose to, or because it is their carreer(as in PAID JOB,which is the more likely of the two). SO GET OVER the "oh the poor people that have to be out there" complex.

Secondly due to the clause called 'Contemtuous Words' in the UCMJ makes it a criminal offense for an enlisted person to speak out against the government or President. This is why you do not see military people writing letters condemning the actions in Iraq.

Thirdly, this letter has many phrases in it that are token political speech writer phraseology, and has an overall look of a professional political speech rather than a letter. So if it looks like a propaganda attempt, reads like a propaganda attempt, then CHANCES ARE . . . ITS A PROPAGANDA ATTEMPT.