Posted on 06/29/2005 5:52:22 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Because Cody Littleton can't join the military, he thought he'd write a poem to show appreciation to those serving in the armed forces.
"Ultimately, it's to pay my respect to those who have served, those who have died for us and those who are doing it now," said Littleton, 19.
"Since I can't do it, this is the next-best thing."
Littleton, who has a kidney condition, was rejected from the Marine Corps last year during his senior year at McNary High School.
Littleton recently completed his freshman year at Southern Oregon University and has come to terms with his inability to serve, but he still wanted to show his gratitude.
A poetry contest on poetry.com with a grand prize of $50,000 sparked his interest this past May.
"I was like, 'why not?'" he said.
Littleton has written poetry for himself over the years, but had never entered a contest.
"This is definitely the most personal one that I've written," he said.
He didn't win the grand prize, but he refocused his efforts toward publishing his poem and distributing it to as many military personnel as he could.
His mother, Nancy, works at the Capitol in Information Systems and is helping him with his campaign.
She has asked legislators for ideas, called the Oregon National Guard for assistance and hopes to get the poem into Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper.
Littleton's medical journey began at age 10, when he was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, a condition in which excessive protein and blood are spilled into the urine because of a poor filtering system.
His case was severe, his doctor told his mother.
And, over the years, as the kidneys weakened, he might need a kidney transplant.
His miracle drug has been fish oil. It has improved his condition, and his kidneys function perfectly now.
"He was in the top 10 percent of severity," his mother said. "Now he's in the top 10 percent of recovery."
Looking at Littleton now, a spry teenager, it is hard to tell he ever was sick.
His doctors, however, don't want to take the chance of discontinuing his medication.
It's his daily dose that has kept him out of the military.
"You can't be on any medications," said Staff Sgt. Johnnie Cornejo with the U.S. Marine Corps recruitment office on Lancaster Drive.
"If it's Motrin or Aspirin or an over-the-counter medication, then it's a possibility. But if it's for an illness, they'll be permanently disqualified," Cornejo said.
So in the meantime, Littleton hopes to honor those in the military by distributing his poetry.
"The ultimate way to show respect would be to join the military myself. However, I can't," Littleton said.
"But believe me, I wish I could."
It's rather funny how the Mainstream media never would have stories that would be positive of our military in any way.
God knows there way too many Pentagon types in Washington that should be on the frontlines but instead push paper around as if the world depended on it!
I was rejected from every branch because of epilepsy.. Don't feel bad.
where's the poem?
Amen. I was rejected for hearing.
Speaking as I am in theater right now, I'd be tickled to READ the winning entry - does anyone have it?
Bandwitdh is rocky over here, so searching on my own is rough...
Thank you
To our troops who are fighting to keep us safe;
And willing to die for us on any given day.
To those who have died protecting our way of life;
You have fought and given the ultimate sacrifice.
For you who will fight for us when given a simple order;
You truly are amazing and deserve The Medal of Honor.
For our troops who endanger their lives even though they have families back home;
And don't even think twice about it, you all are my hero.
There is no perfect way to express my gratitude;
So I just want to say,
THANK YOU!
-- Cody Littleton
Nice. Sounds like a good kid. Glad to hear he is doing well, wish we had more kids like him.
What poem?
Love the tense agreement here. This sentence makes about as much sense as Howard Dean at the RNC.
I have two kids who have been rejected for medical reasons, my oldest son has plates in his arm and my daughter has a kidney condition called IgA Nephropathy. Only my youngest son stands a chance to get in and he's thinking about it now, and he's only a sophomore in high school.
>I'd be tickled to READ the winning entry<
I don't know if this is the right contest winner or not - it was the most recent one posted at poetry.com and was a $20,000 winner rather than a $50,000 winner, so it probably isn't the same contest. Nevertheless, this was what I found on the site:
We sailed on with Happy Hearts
The Harbor wind's played on in our hearts
As we bobbed in our baby dinghy in the blue bay.
All sea sun long we sailed on with happy hearts.
Sporadic clouds peeled shadows off dockhand carts:
We thrilled in trills of gulls and terns above the bay.
The harbor wind's song played on in our hearts.
Cool breezes blew our dinghy to coves across the charts;
We sifted winded sails, sipped wine all winsome day.
All sea sun long we sailed on with happy hearts.
The sun tumbled: we tacked for clubs past marts
And feasted on mariners' tales of a bygone day.
The harbor wind's song played on in our hearts.
We reveled in rhythmic peals of mast slapping halyards
And lapping ripples mooring mirrored lights in the bay.
All misted moon long we sailed on with happy hearts.
We were skippers of our dinghy, sporting our parts.
Tack port! No, starboard! Buoy, port side bow! Oy vey!
The harbor wind's song played on in our hearts;
All sea sun long we sailed on with happy hearts.
Richard Deets
I have two kids who have been rejected for medical reasons, my oldest son has plates in his arm and my daughter has a kidney condition called IgA Nephropathy. Only my youngest son stands a chance to get in and he's thinking about it now, and he's only a sophomore in high school.
Sorry bout that... hopefully your son will get a chance.
Hey, that's still no slouch, anyway! Thanks!
LOL. Anytime I can do a search for you, just let me know ...
amen
ping
After four months of failing to meet recruitment goals, U.S. Army is able to meet their goal for June.
Looks like we still have a lot of patriots in the upcoming generation.
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