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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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Last Words from
an American Soldier
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 14:06:07
EST
Thought you would
like this and please share.
"Words from
Sgt. Edmond John
Jeffers"
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.
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
toVietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming likeVietnam. 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 ofAmerica
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 ofAmerica'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, pass this one on.
Randy
CottamSSG,USARMY (Ret) |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:07 am |
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Ponycar
F L I N T O I D
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| Great post Dave. There are all kinds of ways that we can support our troops. www.americasupportsyou.com has a whole list of organizations. Everything from donating money to just sending a message of thanks. My personal favorite is operation ensuring christmas, an organization that sends the children of fallen military personnel on a trip to disneyworld. |
_________________
A government big enough to give you everything is also powerful enough to take it all away. |
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Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:27 pm |
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