Adam S., son of Bill S., has been writing letters home for several months. Bill has shared many of his eldest son's letters with me during this period, and I have been unable to resist asking Bill for his permission to share these letters.
Bill wasn't shy about giving permission, so I'll include Adam's latest letter here and probably many of his earlier letters in the near future. I've saved them all, as I'm sure Adam's family has.
Most of these letters are very personal, but perhaps this is the most personal as Adam has recently come home to meet his newborn child and is here sharing his joy.
These aren't what we usually consider "Letters From The Front". These are "Letters To My Family, and as such are more important.
While you are reading Editorials from the New York Times and ads therein from leftist organizations, I hope you will have also read these letters from an American Soldier ... who we might consider a "Medic" .. and use the content to put a face to these brave men (and sometimes women) who are fighting for their country.
I couldn't believe it! There are endless little 'first-times' streaming around the [S] (2.0) household. Some I hear about formally, most happen to be 'oh by-the-way, Amaya can laugh and grab now', which have both a breaking and melting effect on my heart. I think what I miss most about my little girls is the teaching. I love teaching (to them).
Kristena told me how much fun she had while shooting. Her conclusion is that she wants a gun that is soft, quiet, and doesn't kick hard. I told her that is like dressing a lion as a sheep. Just because you disguise the signs of lethality does not mean it's no longer lethal. The bang and the snap help you to revere what it is you're playing with.
I am excited for Billie Jo's son, though I haven't shown that to [Billie Jo] enough. You always have more support than what is on the surface; I hope to show [Billie Jo] how much I care about her son. The last month has been a period of darkness with communication. I also hope to change that soon as well.
45 degrees at night? I did the math, that's about right for here too. 45C. Which is about 123 f. Glad we're experiencing the same weather! Actually, with today being an exception (115) it has been cooling off some. The nights are getting cooler and the day light is getting shorter. I look forward to the changes of seasons because those changes signify time; well, time elapsed.
I don't have any engraved crystal Beer Stein trophies! I fear that I've fallen quite behind on the trophy count in these past few years...
Life in the desert is lonely and lengthy, but alas it is disciplined and deliberate. For one-week I've had ample time off, but was drained and distracted long enough to not catch up on much correspondence. Today I was briefed on a very large mission which leaves me 3-days to prepare for it. I will obviously fill you in on the details of the mission after it's over. I should not be gone for more than 72 hours, but during this absence pray for strength, endurance, and impact.
I have a curious question for you, I've always assumed the reasons but I don't really recall asking. Thinking back to your early 20's, what was it that inspired you to start KB? Was it the building? Surely there are many trades that involve welding and fabricating. Was it the industry? Was it the fitness? Was it outside sources or inside motives? Needless to say, I proudly say I literally 'grew-up' in a gym. Some may call me a fitness nut, but there is a deep-rooted love for fitness that began in my youth. I loved KB perhaps only second to you, and I will always love the gym.
Oh! I nearly forgot, I have been designing stages! Off-the-wall, some of them. Some very unusual props and reactive components as well. I started drawing and thinking while guarding that Tigris River bridge. The entire theme was Iraq War based, including the bridge (a traffic control point), the dfac (sic), a roof-top guard position, a market, etc. As my mind wandered I even thought of an Adam-oriented side-match fun shoot that involves shooting from an inverted table (the exercise kind we, as kids, used to spin ourselves end over end in)! Safety would be a huge issue obviously, but it could be done. I even rehearsed the physics of drawing from a table upside down and even doing a reload- not as hard as you might think as long as you can keep the blood from rushing to your head!
My mind often wanders to my father (as well as being a father). Sometimes even the strangest memories surface and my heart deeply yearns to revisit those times. Additionally it turns on the desire to re-create those memories with my own children. Such are the thoughts of a young father I suppose; especially one overseas with the time (too much time) for introspection.
"Some men wonder if what they do will ever make a difference in the world. Marines don't have that problem." - Ronald Reagan
I love you (a lot), I miss you (very much), and I can hardly wait to see you again,
Adam
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