E
ELKabong
Guest
I hate political crapp, but I jus' had to pass this along.
> >This young leader had a lot to say. Too bad he did
> > not survive
> > and go
> > on to provide his leadership to many others.
> >
> > Here's young man, young in years but wisdom far
> > beyond his age.
> > He was
> > killed in Iraq but left some words that need to be
> > read. Not to
> > take a
> > few minutes to do that would be a disservice to his
> > sacrifice.
> >
> > Please read and pass on to anyone you like
> >
> > Very meaty piece of commentary from a fallen
> > Warrior......
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ************************************************************************
> > *
> >
> > SGT. Edmund John Jeffers 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
> > Sheehan's and Al
> >
> > Franken's 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 Sheehan's, and the
> > Al Franken's,
> > 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
> > Sheehan's 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 that 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
> >This young leader had a lot to say. Too bad he did
> > not survive
> > and go
> > on to provide his leadership to many others.
> >
> > Here's young man, young in years but wisdom far
> > beyond his age.
> > He was
> > killed in Iraq but left some words that need to be
> > read. Not to
> > take a
> > few minutes to do that would be a disservice to his
> > sacrifice.
> >
> > Please read and pass on to anyone you like
> >
> > Very meaty piece of commentary from a fallen
> > Warrior......
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ************************************************************************
> > *
> >
> > SGT. Edmund John Jeffers 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
> > Sheehan's and Al
> >
> > Franken's 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 Sheehan's, and the
> > Al Franken's,
> > 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
> > Sheehan's 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 that 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
