Posted on 11/10/2004 3:53:09 PM PST by american_ranger
I posted this on November 1:
Tomorrow I and my wife will vote for George W. Bush. Tonight, I heard on the radio that an Army soldier was killed in an ambush in southeast Afghanistan. My son is stationed in southeast Afghanistan. I checked Fox news and they have an article about a US soldier killed and two wounded in a patrol near Orgun. My son is on a patrol near Orgun. I do not care if it is him, tomorrow we will still vote for Bush. God bless America and God bless President Bush.
I have not told my wife. She is worried enough that Kerry might win. She does not need this additional worry.
We received a phone call a few days ago from my son. It was not his unit that suffered the loss but it was a unit also stationed at his base. He made light of the loss in an attempt to reassure his mother. It worked on her but Dad can see through his talk. (And that is the way it is supposed to be).
I am just now getting back to FreeRepublic and am overwhelmed by the number and seriousness of the responses in the posting as well as freepmail.
My thanks to you all. Overwhelmed is not doing justice to how I feel.
Many people pointed out that the loss was somebody’s son even if was not mine. My prayers that night were a mixture of not wanting it to be my son and for the Lord to hold close whomever’s family had lost their loved one.
On Friday, November 5, (before we received his call) his mother and I helped all day at the War Memorial in Milwaukee. Radio station 620 WTMJ was conducting a Support Our Troops event. The company where I work has sponsored three units overseas since April. A contact at WTMJ knew this and asked us to help out with packaging. My wife and I worked from 7:00AM until 4:00PM and, with the help of a lot of others, packed about 180 boxes. We left due to exhaustion and did not know the final results until Monday. The drive received over 10,500 pounds of donations and, as of today, $34,000 in cash. We are returning this Sunday to continue packaging. I calculate that we have about 7,500 pounds left to box up. We are going to make some soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines very happy. The quality of the donations were excellent. My educated guess is that 99% was purchased that day for the event. Brand new clothing, food, personal hygiene items, games, DVDs, reading material, and a lot more were donated.
The most touching point that day occurred when a woman came up to one of the organizers and gave her a pocket Bible. This woman told her that she wanted to give this Bible to a soldier. The organizer said that one of the women packaging things up had a son in Afghanistan and that she would give it to her. The lady left without giving her name. The organizer gave the Bible to my wife for our son. When my wife opened it up, the page that traditionally holds the name of the owner had been pasted over with a hand written note. The note said, “This Bible kept my father safe through all of World War II. My prayer is that it will do the same for you.”
God bless America!
Praise God!
Your Christmas came early just in time for Thanksgiving!
I'm so very glad. I remember when you posted before and we all were saying prayers for you.
That's great to hear. I am so glad for you and your wife. Prayers for the family that suffered the loss and continued prayers for your son's safety.
Thanks for letting us know that your hero is doing okay!! The part about the bible brought tears to my eyes. You all will continue to be in my prayers, as well as all the rest of our brave heroes and their families.
Good news, Prayers answered and great story.
Ping
I think that it needs to be said that on the evening that you wrote your first post regarding your son, I was moved by your steadfast support for our Commander-in-Cheif. I also happened to lurk over at DU and they had taken your post and began to tear you down with comments I will not subject you to.
I spent five or ten minutes reading the posts and their thoughts on you and then returned to FR to read the follow ups you had received on this site. I doubt there has ever been a more stark contrast between our two competing "communities".
When I returned, I realized just how polarized our country has become and that those on the "other" side have lost all hope for themselves, for their country, or for anything greater than themselves. So they have turned their attention to destroying that which they did not make and that which they do not understand.
Pray for the ignorant man that will chastise the love of a father in order to destroy the bonds of human morality.
God Bless you and your family.
This is very good news! God bless you, your son and all those who serve to protect this great nation.
God bless your son and family. I cannot thank your son enough for the sacrifices and heroic bravery he and his fellow service men and woman participate in every day.
Their actions ARE protecting American & Iraqi families and bestowing freedom the greatest boon to mankind.
I can think of no greater endeavor.
Oh terrific news! Thanks so much for the happy update!
Thank you Lord!!!!!!! Thanks so much for the update. It serves to remind me to pray for the safety of our troops. Every one of them is somebody's son or daughter.
Thank you so much for letting all of us know! May God continue to keep your son safe, and may He comfort the family who lost their son.
God is good!! So glad to hear all is well in your family.
May God protect all of our troops, in war time and in peace!
Praise God! What a relief it must have been to get that call from him and hear his voice! I'm so glad he's okay!
That's a wonderful story regarding the Bible. I have a New Testament serviceman's edition that my dad carried with him during WWII, and I treasure it. I believe my dad made it safely through the war by the grace of God.
Continued prayer for your son and all of our brave troops!
I'm so glad!!!I have been wondering about your son and praying for his safety!! To all parents who have children overseas in the military, I'm praying for them all the time. Thank you for raising heros!!!!
Thank you for the news but so saddened by the loss of one of our own.
Thank You God!
BLESSED 2 READ IT.
THANKS, TONS.
When we didn't see you posting for those five or six days, we began to worry....
I don't know how I will be when my youngest is deployed. I tend to have too vivid an imagination that will work on me, I fear.
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