The United States invaded Iraq in March of 2003. This conflict has been ongoing for 8 years.
In August 2010, Obama declared the U.S . mission in Iraq to be over. 16 months after his announcement, the troops will be coming home. President Barrack Obama announced on Friday, October 21 that all the troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the year.
One of my best friends joined the military after 9/11 and was deployed in January 2011. He hasn’t been home since being deployed. His original reason for doing that was so he could use his built up leave to come home early. The excerpts are from letters I’ve received from him since he left our hometown for basic training and then being deployed overseas.
August 2010 “Maybe I won’t get deployed. The president announced three days ago the mission is over. I think I’m going to fill out transfer papers. I want to get back to North Carolina. Alaska is too cold.”
I was the happiest person when I got this letter. I thought I was going to get my best friend back. I spent a lot of time praying that he would be coming home after this letter. However, about a month later, I got another letter that tore my heart right out of my chest.
September 2010 “Babe, I found out today. I’m deploying in January. I was hoping and praying I was coming back home to you and Mama. Take care of Mama for me. She loves you, you know. Go visit her and talk about me.”
This was the first letter I got from him where I actually broke down and cried. I’ve always been close to his mother. Growing up being best friends, it was impossible to not love her. She was always like my second mother. After we both got our letters from him saying he was deploying, we spent hours talking about all the “what ifs” that go with deployment.
February 15, 2011“It’s hot during the day. It’s cold at night. It’s dry. It’s dusty. I miss you. I miss home.”
I was so excited to get the first letter from him after his deployment. Since I got this letter, I’ve re-read it over and over, to the point I’ve had to tape it back together from the folding and un-folding. One of the biggest things he talks about in his letters is how hot it is during the day.
June 2011“You know what’s bad, a lot of times I think about just why I’m here and not home. The only answer I have is it’s my job. . . It’s crazy. I got in the biggest argument the other day. Someone that I’m stationed with got mad at me because I said this is my job.”
5 months of being overseas made him start to rethink everything. Prior to that, I would get letters saying how happy he was to be protecting our freedom. Through his letters, I saw him changing from his happy-go-lucky self to someone that isn’t happy. Talking to him on the phone shortly after I got this letter, I found out why he was being cynical.
“I watched my best friend over here die in front of me and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I had to send his family his last letter. . .”
July 2011“We lost 2 more yesterday. I don’t want to be next. I miss you. . . If I do get killed over here, you’ll get one final letter from me. Promise me you’ll always remember me, but don’t wait for me. I’ll watch over you.”
The first time he sent me a letter that said that, I broke down crying. That’s when it really hit home for me that he might not ever come home.
That’s what is the most terrifying anyone who knows soldiers stationed overseas – the idea they may never come home. Even though that’s not something those of us with family and friends overseas want to talk about, there’s constantly the possibility that we will become a part of the numerous families that have been torn apart.
According to CNN’s home and away graphic, there have been 2,761 deaths and 14,534 wounded soldiers in Afghanistan since March 2003. In the same time period in Iraq, there have been 4,798 deaths and 32,213 wounded soldiers.
So many families have been torn apart because of the War in Iraq. The numbers don’t tell the full story. As citizens, we have no idea how many people were in the families of the soldiers who have died or been wounded. Personally, I’ve had close connections with three soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I’m on my way. I can’t wait to see you and be able to spend days on end with you at home.”
This is the letter I’m impatiently waiting for. The fact that he will be home before the end of the year keeps me going day in and day out. One of these days all the dreams we’ve talked about in our letters to each other – the future jobs, the dreams for a farm – will all come true. I know for a fact neither of us are the same as we were in August 2010 when we found out he was deploying, but we’ll be stronger for what we’ve gone through.
I’m glad the troops are coming home. My deepest sympathies to the families who have lost members. I can only imagine what you’ve gone through.
