Letters to You

Tags and Tears

Dear Josie,

Let me just start by saying I miss you a lot too. Thinking about our last few months together in the summer sun is pretty much the only thing that keeps me going. I have some of the best friends a guy could ask for.

Anyway, I saw my first glimpse of raw combat for the past two days. We were holed up in an abandoned viewing tower practically surrounded by militants. You wouldn't believe the kinds of weapons these people have, it just doesn't seem real. I don't understand where they're getting this stuff, I thought we only had it becuase we have billions of dollars invested in our firearms but apparently it's easier to come by than I thought

Remember that Mike guy I told you about? He got shot this morning and died. He was laying out cover fire when we were trying to make a run out of the tower and they got him. He's the first one out of our group, we all wanted to cry, but only a tear or two and then we wiped them away and bucked up. Our sergeant is always saying how there isn't room for weakness around here so we didn't have much choice. I had to take his dog-tags off so they could be maied back home to his wife, it was the hardest thing I've ever done.

I can't wait to see everyone again, don't forget to say hi for me.

Ethan