Opposing RNC 2008: A Letter From A Fallen Soldier

Photo by John Hoff (September 1)

This document was passed around on the State Capitol Steps; copies of a letter a soldier wrote to his mother while on a ship bound for Iraq...

In the letter, which I read a bit of over this person's shoulder, the soldier talks about getting sea sick, but finally he became somewhat accustomed to the constant rolling motion of the ship. En route to Iraq, time is spent on the ship learning about "NBC" warfare. (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical.)

The stuff the soldier is learning makes him think about dying. He doesn't want to die. He is afraid, often, he will die in Iraq.

It was a strange feeling to read that humble document. One felt like an intruder, a snoop into a private moment between the soldier and his mother, and yet one felt compelled to read the letter.