One thing that helped sustain me during my 15 months at war was the letters I received from family, friends, and even strangers. 10 years later, I went through some letters. Here are some snapshots.
Hey Andrew,
Isn’t this a cool card Rebecca made? She had a craft day with her friends, and they made Valentines.
The other day I saw some kid with a shirt that said….guess!? 🙂
My friends saw my eraser and thought it was pretty cool! Hope you are eating well and sleeping. If I learned one thing in school it is that sleep is good!
Well, want to tell you that I love you very much. You are a 1 of a kind big brother Ange. Love, Sarah
…
Ange, hope all is well. I made these cards with my lady friends….even though I don’t have a significant other.
Haha.
I’m a FREE spirit. Love, Becs
…
Dear Andrew,
I received your 12/31/08 letter a few weeks ago. Thanks so much.
Sending you some more Guideposts and a couple of Readers Digests. We pray that the letter finds you well and in good health.
Grandma and I pray for you and the other service personnel in Iraq on a daily basis.
Hope with the new Obama presidency that the length of your deployment will be cut short….
Love,
Grandma and Grandpa
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Previously published on Medium.com.
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Photo credit: By Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash