Mr. Tom

As I’ve said before, mail plays a big part in the condition of morale here. You can always tell the individuals who don't get a lot of packages or snail mail by the frowns that hang on their faces and the overall gloom that follows them into a room. I, for the most part, have been blessed with getting regular packages from my girlfriend and a smattering of boxes from family, friends and the occasional church group. Containers of cookies and snacks are always great to open, but sometimes just a letter from a familiar face is enough to brighten an otherwise uneventful day.

Recently I got a letter that really made me stop and take stock of my situation here. It came from Mr. Tom, the father of my round eyed sister Kristine. Much like myself (and his daughter) he served as an engineer officer deployed with the mission of constructing (and probably a little destructing) in a war zone. His letter told me of his time spent in the Mekong Delta on Christmas day of 1968. He and his unit spent that holiday paving a road through some pretty dangerous areas in order to thwart the enemy's efforts to lay land minds on supply routes. There were no Christmas trees or barrels of eggnog for them, and with the exception of getting a hot meal trucked out to them, it was just another day away from home.

"Wars do not stop for holidays."

The letter caused me to pause in my pursuit of the perfect PowerPoint and think about what I’m doing here. I’m not performing construction in the sense of paving a road through a mined valley in Vietnam like Tom, or improving supply infrastructure in Kuwait and Iraq like Kristine, or constructing hospitals in Afghanistan like Alissa, but I am helping to build up a country to stand on its own. It is painfully slow and there are days when I question if the busy work they throw at me will affect anything at all in a positive way, but I’m here, along with a lot of other folks, and we’re trying our damnedest to make things right.

I also thought of the numerous service members who spend the countless important days away from the people that they love; not just the Thanksgivings and the Christmases, but the birthdays, anniversaries, baby’s first words and high school graduations. While I've sat back and watched a year of my life slip pass me during my time here, I am fortunate that there are people like Tom who came before me and sacrificed their special days protecting the freedoms we enjoy today back in the US.

So while I attend another meeting and wait patiently for the Iraqis to take charge of their so called “progress” and move forward, I will keep in mind that its my job not let the efforts of the folks who were here before me be wasted.

Thank you Tom, for your selfless service and for your continuing support.