This afternoon I opened the door to a young Solder

[shesemsmom]

At first I thought who is this Solder and what does he want on Thanksgiving day. He was dressed in his best with his hat in his hand and asked for my Daughter and when I heard his voice I knew right away it was Sam. He lives in Peru Indiana and is at this time in stationed at Fort Campbell Ky. We haven't seen him for a year and was promising for years to sign up as soon as he graduated High school. After Some talk about how long he was staying I asked where he was going and he said in April they plan to send him to Falusia ( hope I spelled that right) I was standing in the kitchen peeling potatoes and my knees almost went out from under me. It took a minute to get it together and he said its OK I'm ready to go. He told me he knew we had no business there and would rather be looking for bin Laden but he'd go where he was sent. My daughter finally came out was was thrilled as we all were to see Sam, and we had a nice visit. When he got ready to leave, we wished him well and my daughter told him to be safe. As I closed the door I sent a silent prater to keep watch over that young man. I hope you all remember Sam and all our kids fighting in this senseless war, for this monster every night Thanks

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. We prayed for him

and for everyone caught up in this insanity when the neighborhood got together for Thanksgiving.

[indigobusiness]

3. You said it better than I could have.

I echo your sentiments, whole-heartedly.

[juliagoolia]

2. I will

I will think of Sam, and Joe, and Mary, and Carol, and John, and all of them..
I do daily.
I think of all them and I think of Raed, and Faiza, And Khalid and those others innocents that just happen to live in a nation torn by warn

Bless Sam..

For them all.....
May the light of God Surround them
May the Love of God Enfold them
May the Power of God Protect them
May the Presence of God Watch over them
And where ever they go May they know that God is with them and all will be well.

[shesemsmom]

6. Thanks to all for your prayers. I don't know if I can do this, this all

came home to us today. I'm afraid the first in my life of many to come.It's different to watch on the news. Today it was in my living room. I hope Sam knows that my prayers went with him.And will continue to be. I'm off to bed now with a heavy heart I've been troubled all day by this and I doubt I'll sleep much. I've got a sick feeling inside. Now when I pray for those kids I have a face to put with it and I feel a cold fear. He's just a boy. A man child and all I can think is will he come knocking on our door again.And what will next Thanksgiving bring. Thank you DU for being their. No one said anything after Sam left, but I know we were all thinking the same thing, and feeling the same dread. Thanks for your prayers...really they help. Shesemsmom

[Eloriel]

4. My brother told me about

a special running on HBO -- last letters home from troops who've been killed. As his own voice cracked with emotion, he told about the letter to one mother saying "Everything's fine, I'm okay, I'm gonna be okay," interspersed with what a good mom she'd been, etc.

IOW: he was saying goodbye. His mother said that she knew as soon as she read it, and her heart sank.

Yes, of course I'll pray for your Sam.

[Postman]

5. Good Luck. But...

as long as the soldiers doing the killing and dieing are willing to "go where they are sent" even though they have misgivings about the morality of the mission there isn't much hope for change.

They can disobey their orders.

Better to be in the stockade, or Canada than to be 6 feet in the ground or returned a changed man for life having participated in and witnessing murder.

This is freedom?

[Dinger]

7. A Prayer & Good Thoughts Fro Me

:)

[Steely_Dan]

8. I Was A Solder Once

[Stinky The Clown]

9. One .... by one ..... by one ...... from families all over the country

off they go .... to war .... a war that need not have been fought ...... one by one ...... sons ..... friends .... brothers ...... sisters ...... the great flower of our young ....... your son ....... or mine ...... parents weeping ....... spouses fearing ........ off they go ...... a last visit ....... kind words ...... words of bravery ...... words of fear ..... words of encouragement ....... senseless ...... for the folly of a fool ..... good bye my son .... I love you more than you can know ..... be brave my son ..... come back to me whole.

damn you, george bush, damn you to hell for eternity, for you, george bush, you are the fool sending our sons off to this needless war.

And yet they go ....... because their country calls ..... too young to discern folly from need ...... eager scrubbed faces ..... my son and yours ........... when Sam goes marching off to war.

I weep.

[Bozita]

10. Damn, that's powerful!

[Hello_Kitty]

11. I will remember Sam and all the young people over there.

I saw a guy from work the other day who just got back from 2 years over there with the Nat'l Guard. I asked him what it was like and he just shook his head and said he was having a hard time dealing with it. He went on to comment on how difficult it was to adjust to civilian life where people worry about the most trivial things while people are dying in Iraq. I almost cried right there. :cry: