Newsweek has put out an issue with letters, journals and video of the fallen men and women of this war on terror. I haven’t been able to find the actual issue of the magazine anywhere. There’s no Barnes and Noble here so I can’t go there. However, Ben did find parts of it online. I spoke with Michelle and asked if I could put the entries here and she consented. She’s doing well considering–feeling blessed that her son is there to keep her going. The editors at Newsweek took out parts of one of the entries (it mentioned Jesus and the Boy Scouts) and she really wants to have it out there in full. She said she’d send me the whole entry. I’ll post it when I get it. In the meantime, this particular entry was pretty poignant.
I know that he would’ve made a great dad. Once when we were displaced due to Hurricane Isabel we spent some time at his apartment. He had electricity so we camped out there. The older two were a bit nervous about all this moving about so he made a tent for them in the room they were staying in. It was very, very sweet. It made it so much fun for them.
Anyway, here’s the entry:
Oct. 17, Baghdad
Just talked to your mom. I could hear you crying a bit in the background. You were hungry.
It made me think of the week you were born. I’d hold you on my chest. You would do this thing when you were hungry—the women called it "rooting." Like a pig roots around for truffles. You would push your head back from my chest and then start bouncing it against me, over and over. Your mouth would start going like you were trying to nurse. Your head would move left and right, back and forth. It was entirely instinct, but you were so determined and so alive. It also was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. I never failed to laugh when you’d start. I don’t think I could ever imagine it and not smile. I’m smiling now, even.
And today was a brutal day across Baghdad. I responded 5 minutes after a suicide bomber drove a bomb into a National Police checkpoint. Blew it to smithereens. Severely wounded about a dozen, and half of them surely died later. They were a mess. Killed one outright. As we were securing the area and treating those still alive, we took small arms fire. … Anyway, after all that, I imagine you rooting around and I can smile again.
On October 22, 2006, Dave was killed by an IED. I grieve for him daily. He was one of my best friends. I miss you, Dave.
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