RIP BrianPosted on 07/02/2004 1:29:58 PM PDT by BriansDad
Brian;
I finished talking to you last Saturday, long distance from Germany, where you were helping load up your unit for movement to the Middle East. I didn’t get to tell you everything I wanted to say, partly because I am not very good at expressing myself on the spur of the moment, and partly because I wanted the conversation to be as upbeat as I could manage.
You are, it appears, heading off to war. Unfortunately, volunteering to join the Army, and putting yourself in jeopardy for the sake of your country does not generate the open admiration that it has in times past. I want you to know that I am very proud of you, though. You continue a family tradition of service to country that passed from my father’s service in Japan at the end of World War II, through my enlistment and that of my three brothers in our generation. I was the one who suggested that you enlist, but you were the one with the dedication and love of country to make the decision. I saw you go off to basic training right after graduation from high school…a gawky, typically unfocused teenage boy. You returned from basic and advanced training not gawky but solid and strong, not scatterbrained but with a calmness and maturity that was very surprising after three short months. You came back a man. A man that was all I ever hoped and dreamed you would be. I admire what you have become.
Your choice of combat engineers was a bit frightening…early into harm’s way is not what fathers dream of for their sons. And now, you are preparing to go fight, to follow the orders of those above you, and I am scared. Scared for your safety, and for the safety of all your fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
You may have heard of some of the dissenting voices back in the United States. As with all wars, there are those who believe we should not fight, or that the cause is not just, or that the whole thing just isn’t necessary. You will note that many of the voices raised in dissent are the same voices that we have heard many times… the appeasers, the weak minded, those with agendas we can only guess at, and, unfortunately also those who just plain hate this country. Oh, they are here…count on it. You could hear them throughout the years constantly finding fault with everything America does, belittling what we stand for and what we are. Unfortunately, those in the entertainment industry tend to be over-represented in these voices of dissent. What was it that John Adams said in “1776”? “Those cool men” (and women, of course)….who speak out loudly and with feeling, but stand back and let others do the dangerous and frightening work that must be done to protect the country and the people. You never see them volunteering to place themselves in danger. They are never the police officers, the firefighters, or the military men whose daily lives are service to country. Sarandon, Sheen, Penn, and the others….always the same names. They cry the same platitudes, “Peace, always peace”, “There is no proof”, “Why should we get involved?” Strangely, or perhaps not so, these were many of the same cries made in the late 1930’s, and by the time they were stilled, whole nations and peoples had been destroyed. No one expects Saddam Hussein to conquer countries as Adolf Hitler did (not that he hasn’t tried, though), but he is a man of intense evil, and a man who has proven to have no hesitation at using chemical and biological weapons against those he dislikes. And, my son, we are on that list. All it takes is to remember the pictures you have seen of the victims of these heinous weapons. The caustic burns, children’s chests heaving to take a breath, or, worst of all, the mounds of lifeless bodies. You and your fellow military men and women are gearing up to prevent these same pictures from appearing on our T.V. screens yet again, but with the locations being L.A., or Akron, or Washington, D.C.; and the people in the pictures being Americans, not some unknown tribe’s people from a far off land.
So, go forth with the knowledge that our cause is just, and the battle is necessary. And pay no heed to the dissenters, they are not the majority or even a significant minority of the people in this country. That majority of good people stand behind you and the rest of the servicemen. Those people know that to have a safe world, to have a safe America, we must protect ourselves against our enemies.
Go and do what you must do. Know that with all of my heart I love you, I respect you, and I am so very proud of you. The other fathers of America and I place our country, our safety and our future in your hands. I pray that God watches over all of you.
All my love
Dad
RIP BrianI am so sorry for the loss of your nephew. He and Brian died hero's deaths in a land far away, but near each other, and within a few days of each other---I believe that makes them brothers. It is important, I believe, to remember what one pastor said at another funeral I attended recently. It is not the date or place or circumstances of their birth that is important. It is not the date or place or circumstances of their death that is important. The only important part is what they did with the dash in between. I believe that Brian and your nephew made the ultimate best use of their dash --- they used it to protect, to serve, and to free their fellow man. And God has taken them into his sheltering arms to give them rest from their righteous labors.
I am so proud of both of them.
Greg Wood
It is the 228th year of American Independence and I honor the ultimate sacrifice made by your dear son Brian. It is by his valor, integrity and God's grace that we remain free. I pray that God will bring you peace and comfort.
I know you are tremendously proud of Brian & the letter you wrote him could not express it more perfectly. Thank you for loving your country and your children so much you were willing to serve each for their greatest good. For this you have blessed the world twice. The Wood legacy will not be fortgotten.
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS
GOD BLESS PRESIDENT BUSH
GOD BLESS AMERICA
I weep for your loss.
Your family's generations of service make me indebted and thankful for families such as yours.
I had patriots in the Revolutionary, both sides of the Civil War, the Korean War, and now, close friends of mine in OIF and OEF.
I cannot imagine the loss of a son. God bless your family and may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
TNT
God bless you and your family and thank you for sharing this with the world.
There was a Canadian. I remember his first name was Glenn. He was killed in June 1944. He was an LT. with a Major and I think an NCO they went looking for the enemy.
They got off the beaches safely, Inland in France an artillery shell killed all three instantly, the townspeople covered their bodies with flowers and the Tri-Color ribbons. The Chaplian sent one of the ribbons to the families.
Every First born son from then has been named Glenn.
It is a loss that doth have no measure,
Worth more than any kind of treasure.
No tears can return what is lost,
There is no higher a cost.
There must always be someone who'll stand,
And the fallen, are now in GOD's hand.
GOD BLESS
He is a hero. God bless him and you.
I am sorry for your loss. He is a hero.
Prayers.
I'm so sorry for you loss, you raised a fine young man. My oldest was in Iraq for a year, now my youngest is heading over in the next fews weeks. May God give me the strength to get though another deployment.
Thank you for posting that. I pray that God grants you peace.
We owe your son for each and every breath of freedom we take. No man could ever do more than he.
God Bless you and your family. Thank you for your graciousness, and sharing this wonderful letter to your son. Please know that many families across our country support our troops and expess sorrow for each loss. My young sons pray each night for the safety of our troops.
I will be printing your letter and handing it to any liberal schmucks; who dare try to get me to justify my support of our country, our troops and our involvement in Iraq.
What a magnificent letter.
THANK YOU
May God bless you. Prayers for your fine son and thanks for his service.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your brave young man.
Thank you for sharing that email with us.
Your family will be in my prayers.
Now that I have taken the time to compose myself enough to stem the flood from my eyes, I pray that God will give you and your family comfort and peace. I do not have to pray for Brian for I know where and with whom he is with.
I thank you for your sacrifice.
I pray that God will give you and your family strength and courage in the days and months and years ahead. The heros are not only the men and women fighting, but the loved ones they leave behind. And the fallen are not the only ones who suffer.
The following was originally printed in a daily devotional that my Mom gave to my Dad as he was shipped off on a minesweeper to the Pacific in WW II. The book is called “Strength for Service to God and Country”. This devotional was for SEPTEMBER 11. Written by Dovert Walton McElroy, First Christian Church, El Paso, TX.
CHOSEN TO SUFFER
“They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” (Acts 5:41).
All of us are called upon to suffer in one way or another. Much of our suffering goes to waste because it is not geared up with an all-compelling purpose. A great cause, such as liberty, chooses men who are big enough to suffer, men who “can take it.” It chooses men who have the stuff in them to endure hardships; who can laugh at privations; who are willing to give up privileges, comforts, and ease. It chooses men like the apostles who, after being treated in a most shameful way and cruelly flogged, came from that experience rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.
Great causes have a way of choosing men who are worthy to suffer. And it is through men that suffer that great causes come to victory. The highest blessings that we enjoy today came in this way. Christ on the cross, Washington at Valley Forge, Lincoln baited by newspapers and even by his cabinet members, and a few among many who were chosen to suffer for great purposes and were found worthy – bringing victory to the cause that chose them.
In these days, the great cause of liberty is again choosing men to suffer for its sake. Shall we who are chosen be found worthy?
Prayer:
Our Father, we are being called upon to suffer for the sake of all men everywhere. The great cause of liberty, with all that it means, is calling for men who are worthy. Wilt Thou make us worthy in every way. Keep the high purpose of freedom upper-most in our hearts, and cleanse us from all selfishness. Dedicate us anew to the high cause of world brotherhood, and give us the victory of an enduring peace. And so shall our suffering be not in vain. In the Spirit of Christ we pray. Amen
Brian... and His family... will never be forgotten.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.