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Freedom of Speach
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' back yards too.
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.
It Takes a Marine to
save a Marine!
GEN Raymond Davis said it well. Semper Fi, Always Faithful. It takes a
Marine to save a Marine. May God bless them all. For those who do not
know him, he is a four star Marine General who won the Medal of Honor at
the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. He spoke to our Rotary Club.
If anyone is interested, I can probably get him to speak again.
Dan
Subject: They Come From America, We've All Met Them
Martin Savidge of CNN, embedded with the 1st Marine Battalion was talking
with 4 young Marines near his foxhole this morning live on CNN. He had
been telling the story of how well the Marines had been looking out for
and taking care of him since the war started. He went on to tell about
the many hardships the Marines had endured since the war began and how
they all look after one another.
He turned to the four and
said he had cleared it with their commanders and they could use his video
phone to call home.
The 19 year old Marine next
to him asked Martin if he would allow his platoon sergeant to use his call
to call his pregnant wife back home whom he had not been able to talk to
in three months. A stunned Savidge who was visibly moved by the request
shook his head and the young Marine ran off to get the sergeant.
Savidge recovered after a
few seconds and turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with
him and asked which one of them would like to call home first, the Marine
closest to him responded without a moments hesitation "Sir, if it's all
the same to you, we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours,
Lance Cpl Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida who was killed on 3-23-03
near Nasiriya to see how they are doing".
At that Martin Savidge
totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before
signing off was "where do they get young men like this"
A TRUE STORY ABOUT ANSWERED
PRAYER
Several weeks ago, through the website of The Presidential Prayer Team, I
"adopted" a member of the Armed Forces to pray for daily during this time
of war. I have prayed daily (early and often!) for "my" adopted Marine.
Last night I returned home from work and turned on my television set for
war updates. In progress was a battlefield interview from Iraq conducted
by embedded correspondent Kerry Sanders. Kerry was speaking with a wounded
young Marine who, surrounded by medics, lay on a stretcher on the ground
"somewhere in the Iraqi desert."
Fortunately, the brave young man appeared to be in fair condition despite
a wound in the arm/hand. To my astonishment, I heard Kerry refer to the
wounded Marine as "Josh," which just happens to be the name of my
"adopted" Marine.
"It can't be," I said to myself, "it just can't be!" After all, there must
be hundreds of Marines named "Josh." But, incredibly, the young Marine IS
"my Marine!" As the interview proceeded Kerry mentioned the Marine's last
name, and YES, the young Marine IS indeed the Marine I pledged to pray for
daily (and did, particularly at about the time he was under fire).
I am overjoyed that "my Marine" has come through a fierce encounter near
Nasiriyah alive, and though wounded, will recover. I'd like to think that
my prayers may have helped Josh as he fought in the desert of Iraq a day
or so ago.
Patricia, Las Vegas, Nevada
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