The following was part of a letter that my son, a 10 yr. veteran who's now working in Iraq as a civilian, wrote to me last week... said he was just jotting down some thoughts. My wife was so touched that she sent it to the local paper...Here's the article..
Waving to heroes inspires 'pride and hope' in Iraq
By Michael Stack
Yesterday morning on my walk home from work, I heard a loud rumble coming from behind me. I turned and coming towards me at about 40 mph were six Stryker armored attack vehicles, the latest addition to the military's armored tank divisions.
As the Strykers got closer, my mind went back to a young boy standing in the street as a team of firefighters raced by, not knowing what amazing mission they were on or whose lives they would save. As I visualized the similarities of my thoughts and this reality, I began waving at the soldiers mounted to their .50 caliber machine gun turrets fully dressed in battle gear.
As I waved to these soldiers, it occurred to me that I didn't even know the nature of their trip. Were they training? Were they coming from battle or were they heading into battle at that very moment? My feelings began shifting from wonder and amazement to pride and hope. I thought to myself as they waved back, have they themselves had that same idea of a young boy watching his heroes go by, and if so are they now invoking the same thought or memory from a different vantage point?
I hope that they felt for the other men and women in those tanks the way that I felt for them as I watched them go off to an unknown fate. I hoped more than anything, though, that those heroes waving back felt the warmth and pride of 300 million Americans waving with me.
Stack, an Endwell resident, is currently working as a civilian at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq.
It shows a side of him I guess I hadn't noticed often enough! Sluggo (Chris)