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June 29, 2004
24th MEU Advance Party departs
Early Sunday morning, approximately 300 Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit said goodbye to family and friends flew from MCAS Cherry Point to the Middle East.
Photo by LCpl John D. Cranford
| Cpl. George Rondon from Fresno, California kisses his wife Priscilla before he departs for Iraq with the MEU's advance party June 27. |
| Staff Sgt. Joseph Martinez from Altus, Oklahoma says goodbye to his infant son and wife, Monica. |  Photo by LCpl John D. Cranford |
The remainder of the 24th MEU will leave for the Middle East over the next week and the entire unit is expected to be in Iraq by mid-July.
Posted by Deb at June 29, 2004 01:24 AM
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Comments
This is something written by my husband and sent to a friend who is sending a care package to our son in Iraq.
Very nice. As Codys father, I appreciate any and all efforts made on behalf of our Marines and soldiers serving overseas, I would like to share something you can pass on to your friends.
( I don't really care about the politics, whether you support John Kerry or George Bush, if your democrat or a republican. Whether you hate the Iraqi people or hate terrorist. I wish we would all sit at the table of peace one day. I try my best to follow the way of Christ, to harbor hatred for no man, to be at peace with all peoples. I let others judge as I know I fall far too short to be of any measure, lest I be judged by the same rod.)
I haven't had a full night of sleep since I knew he was going to Iraq.
I go to sleep wondering how he is doing and I wake up wondering whether he is being shot at as I lay thinking about him at 2:30 in the morning.
When news comes out that a Marine, or Marines have been killed in the 1st expeditionary force around the Fallujah area, we try desperately to find out what battalion took the causalities. It's never listed. So we wait. To hear from Cody by a phone call, or online by email, every car that goes by our driveway quickens the heart with the fear that it may pull in and have the Marine logo on its doors. Those cars mean your child is dead, wounded, or missing. I cannot describe the relief when contact is made with him and we know he is ok.
Even though you shouldn't, because all it does is cause worry, you read every bit of news that tells you what is going on in the area your Marine is deployed.
The Star Spangled Banner puts a lump in my throat, and brings tears to my eyes. Seeing the American Flag displayed can catch my breath. Seeing the picture of a lost Marine in the paper or on television will bring tears streaming down my face. Somewhere, families are broken hearted. It could have been Cody. It still could be. It could be my heart broken.
Now I truely understand what Jesus meant when he said, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Mat 25:40) It affects me when someone writes Cody or sends him a package. I feel a great appreciation in my heart, it can choke me up.
Our children are our treasures in life. It's why we work, doing what we may not enjoy so much. Why we go to school events when we want to rest. Why we go to practice for baseball, football and soccer, and then go to the games twice a week. Why we go to band concerts. Why we go to Disneyland and amusement parks rather than Vegas and the glittering thrill in the cities. It's why we question ourselves in the deepest part of our spirit, "are we good parents, doing the right things"? Why we buy vans and station wagons instead of sports cars. We sacrifice for our children, because we love them so much, because in life there isn't much that will stay with you all through it like the smell of your childs hair and skin when they were babies, or the way their hands felt in yours when you walked them across the street when they were little. The times we spent reading books with them, going fishing, teaching them to hit a ball and how to share and be nice to other kids. Why we spend a little extra at Christmas when we know we shouldn't, why we take less, to give them more. Bikes and sandboxes, swimming and birthday parties.....our mind is the treasure chest, and all those memories are the treasure we keep close to our heart. The treasure of our children.
I miss Cody. I worry all the time. I cry when songs play that remind me of him. He is always just a thought away. I think of those parents who have lost their sons or daughters and wonder how they can stand the pain. I think my friends are tired of me, our conversations always come around to the war, to Cody. I take them there. If you ever wonder what to say to someone who has a son or daughter in the Marines deployed in Iraq fighting this war, tell them you will pray for them to come home safe, and that you appreciate the sacrifice. Because a Marine will sacrifice their life for you, in a heart beat, in fact, thousands have already, all through their history. They are brothers, banded together, to fight our enemies so that we don't have to.
Michael
Posted by: Michael at September 26, 2004 03:19 PM
There is an incredibly touching way to send a message to your Marine...at www.soldiertags.com you can emboss a message on a dogtag with a small chain attached that your Marine can wear or carry and reread everyday to lift his spirits! It's only $4.95 and free shipping! Check it out!
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