nochawk
Moderator
- Messages
- 2,979
> > This is lengthy and heavy, but should be read in it's entirety by
> > everyone.
> >
> >
> >
> > Subject: A Soldier's Last Words--excellent
> >
> > SGT. Edmund John Jeffer's last few words were some of the most
> >
> > touching, inspiring and most truthful words spoken since the tragedy of
> > 9/11
> >
> > - and since our nation went to war. SGT. Jeffers was a strong soldier
> > and
> >
> > talented writer. He died in Iraq on September 19, 2007. He was a loving
> >
> > husband, brother and son. His service was more than this country could
> > ever
> >
> > grasp - but the least you can do for the man who sacrificed his life for
> > you
> >
> > ... is listen to what he had to say. Listen up and pay attention to all
> > of
> >
> > the Cindy Sheehans and Al Frankens of the world. To MSNBC, CNN, and CBS.
> > To
> >
> > all who call themselves Americans ... Hope Rides Alone.
> >
> > Hope Rides Alone
> >
> > By Eddie Jeffers
> >
> > I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city
> >
> > burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the
> > familiar
> >
> > rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the
> >
> > streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are
> > steady
> >
> > on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose
> > of
> >
> > taking the lives of others.
> >
> > I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young
> >
> > American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday
> > allow
> >
> > them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my
> > age
> >
> > not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I
> > am
> >
> > scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for
> > me, it
> >
> > calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always
> > there.
> >
> > There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and
> >
> > actions that are not my own...but that are necessary for survival. I've
> > made
> >
> > compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me
> > are
> >
> > my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets...who feel the
> > same
> >
> > things, whether they admit to it or not.
> >
> > And to think, I volunteered for this...
> >
> > And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.
> >
> > But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi , Iraq , the cries and
> >
> > screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be
> >
> > thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your
> >
> > average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the
> >
> > streets of America , and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of
> > the
> >
> > same people who compare our President to Hitler.
> >
> > I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al
> >
> > Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their
> >
> > mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right,
> > however,
> >
> > and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and
> >
> > girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and
> >
> > girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the
> >
> > infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed
> > in
> >
> > action is Private First Class.
> >
> > People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to
> >
> > the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are.
> > They
> >
> > don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva
> >
> > Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from
> > the
> >
> > enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the
> >
> > horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy.
> > The
> >
> > enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is
> >
> > effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of
> > this
> >
> > war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the
> >
> > inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the
> > enemy
> >
> > changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is
> >
> > transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is
> > becoming
> >
> > the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize
> > it.
> >
> > But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing
> >
> > the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from
> >
> > society...and they are becoming our enemy.
> >
> > Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire"
> >
> > around and compare this war to Vietnam . In a way they are right, this
> > war
> >
> > is becoming like Vietnam . Not the actual war, but in the isolation of
> >
> > country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation
> > with
> >
> > its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our
> > second,
> >
> > or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so
> >
> > concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
> >
> > Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the
> >
> > Internet...and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an
> > Iraqi
> >
> > in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes
> > soldiers
> >
> > are even jailed...for doing their job.
> >
> > It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to
> >
> > this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at
> >
> > nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good
> >
> > we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC
> > or
> >
> > CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq ? Or the
> > leaders
> >
> > of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people
> >
> > will not let up their hatred of Bush. They will ignore the good news,
> >
> > because it just might show people that Bush was right.
> >
> > America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend
> >
> > what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that
> > the
> >
> > American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing.
> > It's
> >
> > not like World War Two, where people rationed food, and turned in cars
> > to be
> >
> > made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to
> >
> > sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member
> > of a
> >
> > service member, its life as usual...the war doesn't affect you.
> >
> > But it affects us. And when it is over, and the troops come home,
> >
> > and they try to piece together what's left of them after their
> >
> > service...where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy
> > Sheehans
> >
> > be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last
> > couple
> >
> > years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and
> > wading
> >
> > through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are,
> >
> > somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them.
> >
> > Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never
> > experience in
> >
> > their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have
> >
> > willingly taken upon their shoulders.
> >
> > We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else
> >
> > wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a
> > country
> >
> > that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their
> > children
> >
> > will be abducted, raped, and murdered if they do not comply with the
> >
> > terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And
> > America
> >
> > has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause,
> > and
> >
> > see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we
> > cannot
> >
> > place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight,
> >
> > whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking
> > yellow
> >
> > ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops
> > and
> >
> > our cause.
> >
> > Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now,
> >
> > hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is
> > only
> >
> > failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it
> > doesn't.
> >
> > Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering,
> >
> > let's stop all the bad news, and let's stand and fight!
> >
> > Eddie's father, David Jeffers, writes:
> >
> > I'm not sure how many letters or articles you've ever read from the
> >
> > genre of "News from the Front," but this is one of the best I've ever
> > read,
> >
> > including all of America 's wars. As I was reading this, I forgot that
> > it was
> >
> > my son who had written it. My emotions range from great pride to great
> >
> > sorrow, knowing t hat my little boy (22 years old) has become this man.
> >
> > He is my hero. Thank all of you for your prayers for him; he needs
> >
> > them now more than ever. God bless.
> >
> > Though Eddie is no longer with us, you can help to let his voice be
> >
> > heard.
> > everyone.
> >
> >
> >
> > Subject: A Soldier's Last Words--excellent
> >
> > SGT. Edmund John Jeffer's last few words were some of the most
> >
> > touching, inspiring and most truthful words spoken since the tragedy of
> > 9/11
> >
> > - and since our nation went to war. SGT. Jeffers was a strong soldier
> > and
> >
> > talented writer. He died in Iraq on September 19, 2007. He was a loving
> >
> > husband, brother and son. His service was more than this country could
> > ever
> >
> > grasp - but the least you can do for the man who sacrificed his life for
> > you
> >
> > ... is listen to what he had to say. Listen up and pay attention to all
> > of
> >
> > the Cindy Sheehans and Al Frankens of the world. To MSNBC, CNN, and CBS.
> > To
> >
> > all who call themselves Americans ... Hope Rides Alone.
> >
> > Hope Rides Alone
> >
> > By Eddie Jeffers
> >
> > I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city
> >
> > burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the
> > familiar
> >
> > rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the
> >
> > streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are
> > steady
> >
> > on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose
> > of
> >
> > taking the lives of others.
> >
> > I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young
> >
> > American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday
> > allow
> >
> > them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my
> > age
> >
> > not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I
> > am
> >
> > scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for
> > me, it
> >
> > calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always
> > there.
> >
> > There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and
> >
> > actions that are not my own...but that are necessary for survival. I've
> > made
> >
> > compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me
> > are
> >
> > my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets...who feel the
> > same
> >
> > things, whether they admit to it or not.
> >
> > And to think, I volunteered for this...
> >
> > And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.
> >
> > But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi , Iraq , the cries and
> >
> > screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be
> >
> > thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your
> >
> > average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the
> >
> > streets of America , and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of
> > the
> >
> > same people who compare our President to Hitler.
> >
> > I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al
> >
> > Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their
> >
> > mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right,
> > however,
> >
> > and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and
> >
> > girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and
> >
> > girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the
> >
> > infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed
> > in
> >
> > action is Private First Class.
> >
> > People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to
> >
> > the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are.
> > They
> >
> > don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva
> >
> > Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from
> > the
> >
> > enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the
> >
> > horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy.
> > The
> >
> > enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is
> >
> > effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of
> > this
> >
> > war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the
> >
> > inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the
> > enemy
> >
> > changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is
> >
> > transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is
> > becoming
> >
> > the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize
> > it.
> >
> > But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing
> >
> > the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from
> >
> > society...and they are becoming our enemy.
> >
> > Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire"
> >
> > around and compare this war to Vietnam . In a way they are right, this
> > war
> >
> > is becoming like Vietnam . Not the actual war, but in the isolation of
> >
> > country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation
> > with
> >
> > its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our
> > second,
> >
> > or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so
> >
> > concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
> >
> > Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the
> >
> > Internet...and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an
> > Iraqi
> >
> > in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes
> > soldiers
> >
> > are even jailed...for doing their job.
> >
> > It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to
> >
> > this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at
> >
> > nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good
> >
> > we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC
> > or
> >
> > CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq ? Or the
> > leaders
> >
> > of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people
> >
> > will not let up their hatred of Bush. They will ignore the good news,
> >
> > because it just might show people that Bush was right.
> >
> > America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend
> >
> > what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that
> > the
> >
> > American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing.
> > It's
> >
> > not like World War Two, where people rationed food, and turned in cars
> > to be
> >
> > made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to
> >
> > sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member
> > of a
> >
> > service member, its life as usual...the war doesn't affect you.
> >
> > But it affects us. And when it is over, and the troops come home,
> >
> > and they try to piece together what's left of them after their
> >
> > service...where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy
> > Sheehans
> >
> > be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last
> > couple
> >
> > years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and
> > wading
> >
> > through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are,
> >
> > somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them.
> >
> > Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never
> > experience in
> >
> > their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have
> >
> > willingly taken upon their shoulders.
> >
> > We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else
> >
> > wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a
> > country
> >
> > that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their
> > children
> >
> > will be abducted, raped, and murdered if they do not comply with the
> >
> > terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And
> > America
> >
> > has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause,
> > and
> >
> > see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we
> > cannot
> >
> > place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight,
> >
> > whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking
> > yellow
> >
> > ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops
> > and
> >
> > our cause.
> >
> > Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now,
> >
> > hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is
> > only
> >
> > failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it
> > doesn't.
> >
> > Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering,
> >
> > let's stop all the bad news, and let's stand and fight!
> >
> > Eddie's father, David Jeffers, writes:
> >
> > I'm not sure how many letters or articles you've ever read from the
> >
> > genre of "News from the Front," but this is one of the best I've ever
> > read,
> >
> > including all of America 's wars. As I was reading this, I forgot that
> > it was
> >
> > my son who had written it. My emotions range from great pride to great
> >
> > sorrow, knowing t hat my little boy (22 years old) has become this man.
> >
> > He is my hero. Thank all of you for your prayers for him; he needs
> >
> > them now more than ever. God bless.
> >
> > Though Eddie is no longer with us, you can help to let his voice be
> >
> > heard.
