Called to Serve

6/15/03 | ohioWfan

[ohioWfan]

Luis, you always bring me to tears with your posts! Thank you!

[ohioWfan]

Courtesy of the world's finest finishing school.

And we didn't pay a penny for it! :o)

Thank you, Jack!

[The Shrew]

This is an outstanding post. Thank you for sharing your son's experience with us. I have often worried that without universal military service American's would lose touch with their military as it so much smaller and fewer American's have any real experience. Your post, and others like it, help prevent that and keep us in touch with our military sons and daughters.

My best wishes to your son. Write him often!

Thank you!

TS

[dandelion]

Good bless you - I understand, it is so hard. My daughter left for USAF Basic training a week ago today, and we are all so proud and at the same time so bereft of her presence.

I know you are just filled with so much emotion right now - our lives are like rivers, they just keep rolling to a destiny we cannot see yet... we have to trust our Pilot, and keep praying. Our children are in the hands of our God.

[ohioWfan]

Thank you, and thanks for the admonition to write to him often. I know that getting mail is really important to him, so among the whole family and all our friends, he's getting a LOT of letters!

Interesting point you bring up about the smaller military meaning that fewer people have exposure to what is really going on. I'll be thrilled if this post helps let others know how strong these young men and women really are.

[ohioWfan]

I couldn't believe how deep the pain was when he left for Basic Training. I kept thinking to myself, "He's just in KENTUCKY! Get a grip!"

But, underneath it all, I knew that he might just end up where he is now.....and I think that was the reason that it was so very hard.

[FryingPan101]

Eric will be in our thoughts and prayers. He looks strong. You must be so proud. My Dad was 18 when he dropped in Normandy. He's still going strong. Our family is filled with strong Vets and we'll all be pulling for Eric. Tomorrow, my sister's 19 year old son departs for Afghanistan. Our boys always come through...generation after generation.

[The Shrew]

I didn't mean it so much as an admonition as a gentle entreaty!

I know that the mail call's I attended that were without letters were character building exercises. And the mail calls that brought letters and packages made me feel the most loved man on earth! Trust me - there were more character building days than the other! ;-) and, I know I received more letters than many others.

3 years overseas gives you a different appreciation of America than you get by staying here! It is a perspective of which I am very proud. If your son does nothing with water purification or any of the other skills he learns in the Army than that he drinks the stuff - he is still receiving an experience base that will serve him well all his days - if he lets it!

Regards,

TS

[Molly Pitcher]

Proud of Eric, Buckeye Bump, ((((ohio)))). Thanks so much for keeping us updated.

TS, that is so true about spending time overseas in our country's service, and the appreciation it brings.

That was true of my husband.....and me, joining him in S. Korea in the early 70s.

[visitor]

We must continue our fervent prayer support for them, for their leaders, and their Commander in Chief. We must continue to pray for the safety and protection of our nation, because the war on terror is not over. There are battles yet to come in this long and arduous war against evil, for other young men and women who are training to serve as well. The Battle of Iraq is continuing to take its toll for many, and the personal sacrifice is immeasurable.

thank you, thank you, thank you ...rto

[LuvyaDubya]

Thank you, oWf, for sharing this deeply personal and moving experience with us. Continued prayers for Eric and you and the rest of your family.

We thank God that liberty found such brave defenders. --GWB, March 26, 2003

Indeed! And may God bring them all safely home.

[firewalk]

Thanks for the bumps!

You're welcome, here's another

[Palladin]

Thanks for the update on your son, Eric. May God bless him on this tour of duty, and bring him home safely to your loving arms.

It lifts my spirits tremendously to know that there are young people like Eric to protect and defend our nation today, and to become its leaders in the future.

Thank you for the part you played in raising this exceptional young man.

God Bless America!

[LaDivaLoca]

Eric and all our men and women in our Military will always be in our prayers. Please extend our heartfelt gratitude for their service to our country. God bless them all and may He keep them safe. And tell them, we have not forgotten them at all.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Seabees Pool Project
Swimming Along

     CAMP BABYLON, Iraq — An innovative conversion of a large fish feeder into a swimming pool has made this one of the cooler base camps, while boosting troop morale at the same time.
     Lance Cpl. Johnny Burns of the First Marine Expeditionary Force is one of the many individuals that took advantage of the new pool June 11 to catch a break from the heat of the day. "It was refreshing!" he said.
      The Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 15 (Air Detachment), based out of Kansas City, Mo., spent two weeks setting up systems to circulate and filter the water. The Seabees opted to convert a recessed fish feeder into a pool because of its large diameter. More

 

Our troops are so resourceful!

Thank you for sharing Eric and your family's story with us, ohioWfan.

 

Humbled by his courage...and yours. As Col. Nash said the other day - and reports on the ground confirm (from everyone but the press holed up at the Palestine Hotel where the activists and Baath Party Loyalists come to complain), 99% of the Iraqi people are very grateful to our troops.

 

VOICES OF FREEDOM
Quotes from the grateful Iraqi people. Y

“I have no more fear now. From the moment Iraq was liberated I felt as though my two sons had been brought back to me.”
A woman whose 17-year-old son, Sardar Osman Faraj, was executed in Iraq in 1985 and another was killed by unknown assassins in 1992. Los Angeles Times, 6/8/03

                                                                  ~~~

Here's an online diary from another faithful young American POW guard you might enjoy reading: The online journal of Chief Wiggles -- Straight from Iraq. ^ | June 6, 2003

 

Hugs to you, and Eric!

[ohioWfan]

Our boys always come through...generation after generation.

The human spirit is a remarkable thing. When the cause is just, and the reasons clear, young Americans will come through with the strength and resolve needed for the hour.

Yes, Eric is strong and we are proud. Thank you for your prayers!

[Radix]

Somehow just having a real date would help us deal with it.

That has made it difficult for all of us. We were expecting a reunion by this time. The extension has been a tough pill to swallow in these parts. We have to take care of business though. It is very frustrating, but in the end, it will be worth it.

[ohioWfan]

Oh, Ragtime!! That picture is great!

The water supply guys, in their resourcefulness have taken one of their broken water bags (they hold 50,000 gallons) and put it in a hole they've dug, filled it with water, and have made a swimming pool!

Eric says for the one moment when he first gets out of the water, he feels cool!

Thanks for the links too. The Iraqi people are VERY happy we're there.