THE MINER"S THING WAS PRETTY TRAGIC...

Keep on praying for the family of the victims...

I want to share with you an email I got from a Marine For Christ officer.  I know there are many out there in xanga land who are in IRaq right now that reads this xanga and many more with loved ones over there...

I thought this email excerpt was interesting...

Shows how lonely it can be during the holidays during a long deployment...

I know many can relate to this, both on the home front and abroad...

Well we are at an auspicious time in the deployment a time it seems of turning of progress yet at the same time a time that seems lonely and far away from home. During this holiday season I have felt many strange feelings some selfish, some giving, some angry, some rejoicing but there is no other place that I would rather be right at this time. I could not imagine having to leave without my men and without knowing if they would be alright or at least being there to take them through it. So I go on with a platoon that has taken only one casualty (a minor wound to the face) but has sacrificed greatly for the cause of freedom. These men are leaving behind family situations that are far less than desirable or even stable. One of my Marines has already lost a father while we were over here and almost his mother at the same time. Many have lost girlfriends and seen people they thought would stick by them fall to the wayside. They drive on though possibly because they know they have to, possibly because they are more scared to quit than to keep going, and possibly because there is something in their very being that drives them to protect something greater. We were on guard duty the night of Christmas and Christmas Eve and it was a cold night as the night went on I went around to the posts they were on and talked too many of them. I heard the hurt in many of their voices and even the desire to forget about it and drown themselves in this thing ... this meaningful work that they seem to be winning or making a difference as they put their personal lives on hold. Many even intentionally do not call home or write or even email but a very few people in order to remain above the homesickness.