One of the many lawyers I support here has a cousin over in Afghanistan. This is a letter he shared with her, and they ask that it be passed on. So here it is.<br /><br />Hi Guys,<br />There is a Lt. Commander here from the Navy and she is attached to our unit. <br />I helped her carry some boxes to her hut when she moved to Bagram ( I picked <br />her up at the terminal of of the C-130 ) and she asked me if I played video <br />games. I told her yes and she asked me if I wanted an X-Box ( its like a <br />playstation--from microsoft ) It seems that her sister lives in beverly hills and her <br />two sons wanted to send their aunt an x-box. Well she told me that she didn't <br />like games at all and if I wanted I could have the x-box. I asked her if she <br />was sure, because those things cost about 200 bucks.. she said that she was <br />sure. So today I was attending the Commanders briefing at the JOC ( joint <br />operations Command ) and I ran into her....she said that she told her sister and her <br />sisters two sons about me and that I had offered to write them a thank you <br />note. The two boy were very excited and have been asking her everytime she calls <br />when " the soldier " was going to write them....so today after the briefing I <br />sat down and wrote them a long email. I told them about the help mission to <br />the warlords villiage and about the way in kabul the people live almost as good <br />as in america but only 5 miles away people live in tents surrounded by sheep <br />and camels with no TV no Electric and no running water. Never been to school <br />and illiterate. I told them about how we as the millitary are trying to rebuild <br />schools and universities. as well as make sure that people have food, freedom <br />and comforts. I told them about my job as the armorer and I tried to make it <br />interesting for small boys. Like how I take care of weapons, night vision <br />goggles and stuff like that. <br /> <br /> The point is, and the reason I am forwarding this to all of you is :<br />I am continualy touched by the way all of our loved ones support the people <br />of the millitary. It is so hard to be away from home and the people we care so <br />much about. I am moved every time I speak to one of you or recieve an email, <br />letter or package. I cannot begin to express how I feel when a stranger whom I <br />have never even heard their voice asks me to write to their children or offers <br />to send a package. <br /> <br /> In the short time I have been here I have had rockets and rifles aimed <br />at me, I have driven through the desert at 120 miles an hour on a shoddy road <br />while dodging cars that may or may not be filled with Taliban or one of those <br />other groups of terrible men and women. I have driven through the city of Kabul <br />at 80 miles an hour on the side walk trying to make it to the American <br />Embassy and another army base there. I have shaken the hand of a Afghanistan <br />Warlord, eaten lunch with him and met the people in his villiage. I have spent time <br />in my hut safe and sound as my friends have left for dangerous missions. I have <br />issued them ammunition and then prayed that they will not have to use it. I <br />have left the same hut and sat in a bunker as mortars land 1\4 mile away. I <br />have made friends that I will have for the rest of my life and deeply missed the <br />ones I have left at home. I fallen asleep in my bed to the sound of mines <br />being detonated in the fields that surround our base by the brave men and women of <br />the United states millitary because our country does not want another <br />innocent man, women, or child to be harmed by someone elses wars and the weapons from <br />them. <br /><br />All throughout these experiences I have been empowered by the knowledge that <br />I do these things for the same people that love me and care for the soldiers <br />with me. I can say that I have never been afraid, I have been steeled towards <br />these things by the support I recieve from my loved ones and people I have <br />never even met that took the time to write me, pray for me, and care for me. <br /> I cannot begin to say how much pride I felt when a friend of mine that <br />was feeling down because he had not recieved a single letter recieved a box of <br />candy from my mothers friend and a note that said they were thankful for his <br />efforts, nor can I show you the tears in his eyes as he hugged me after opening <br />that box, nor can I show you the tears in mine as I remember that moment as I <br />write this. <br /><br /> I am not a open and emotion person, my wife has a hard time decyphering <br />my moods and feeling sometimes and she knows me better than I know myself. And <br />as such a person I find it hard to write this letter and maybe because of that <br />reason I am overdoing it a touch, however I feel that you all deserve to be <br />thanked for your actions, I am 100 times more proud of you than you could ever <br />be of me.<br /> I write this because I feel the need to thank all of you for the support <br />you have shown to myself and my friends here with me. Your friends have sent <br />my friends care gifts and letters, even though they have never even heard of <br />these people before.<br /><br /> In 8 days I go home on leave and all I want in the world is to hold my <br />wife and child in my arms and I am so lucky to have them. As I think of going <br />home I realize that I have never been more proud of anything in my life. Not of <br />what I am doing over here, because honestly it's not nearly as much as others <br />are doing. I spend 99% of my time all safe and snug as others take all the <br />risks and go without the things I take for granted. I am proud of the people I <br />left at home. They are the reason people like me sleep well at night in comfort <br />and with a feeling of security. I know what ever happens over here the folks <br />I have other places will be here for me no matter where in the world I am, <br />Making sure I never feel afraid, lonely or forgotten.<br /><br /><br />Thank you with all my heart,<br />Adam<br /><br />Please feel free to forward this e-mail to whomever you like. I believe that <br />everone should know how the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq feel about the <br />people that work so hard to take care of us.<br /><br />Specialist, Adam J Ladd<br />United States Army<br />125 Signal Battalion<br />Bagram Air Field<br />Afghanistan
