Saturday, September 30, 2006

Three Heroes


Following are updates from three of our soldier heroes: my grandson Johnny Walton (raising money for college) beginning his second tour of duty in Iraq; our new friend “E” in Guantanamo, Cuba; and PV’s own Brian Weiss back from Djibouti. I saw Brian at the Farmer’s Market and he looked just great. Now his mom needs to fatten him up a bit.

Gramps,

Sorry, I haven't been connected here for the last two days or so but I got the package Thursday. Thank you. The suck though is that my commander was killed Wednesday. Captain Mattingly was shot down while flying a Kiowa. I'll send you some pictures to show you what we did for him here and who he was. He was actually one of my best, top two. Now were back on mission, not forgetting, but doing the mission with him pushing our thoughts, doing what he would want us to do and keeping on fighting the fight. It's finally cooling down; I think it was only 110 degrees today. I’ll let you know when there is more to tell.

Love ya,
Johnny


Hi Bill,

I forgot if I properly thanked you for the package that came in more than two weeks ago. If not, I apologize for the late gratitude. Things are moving along here in Gitmo. I have 8 more weeks or so and then I rotate back to the States.

Things I have learned down here:

1. The media will undoubtedly portray the troops in the worst possible light. We absolutely bend over backwards for the detainees down here. In fact, they are happier than our guys. They know they are manipulating us. All they lack is their freedom to leave their cell. But we jump through hoops for all else.

2. Senior leadership stand by their people. When I was enlisted, I was too far removed from the senior officers to view their leadership. Admiral Harris is a great representative of GTMO. He is a forceful and straight-forward leader. Coming from the pilot community, people were curious as to what he would bring. I got here right after him, and from what I see, he has brought the quality of life up.

3. The hardest job is being a guard here, hands down. God bless those guys. If you are a prayer (as in one who prays) pray for them. They are professional in a very challenging environment. But of course, all onehears about is Abu Gareeb, the immature and dishonorable actions of handful of individuals. We have American heroes (in my book) working hard at GTMO every day for our country with little acknowledgment.

I am sharing the care packages with the above said heroes. The books will undoubtedly be appreciated by them. The beef jerky is all but gone. My guys came by my office and snacked on it. The CDs are great. I gave the golf mags to a guy who is an awesome golfer. He loves them.

Thanks again,Your support is always appreciated,
E

For those of you who haven’t heard, I am back. Please excuse me for not emailing all of you sooner but my email has been down since I got home. After 6 calls to tech support I think I have finally resolved the issue (cross your fingers). I am a little behind on emails but I will try to catch up asap. I have another week or so of active duty left, after that I should be on leave with the Marine Corps for almost a month. Thank you very much for all of the support during my deployment!

Talk to you soon.
Brian

Dori said: “So, when’s the party?”

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Bill, for posting the updates from the guys. Johnny writes like a man much older than he is, to me. You have a lot to be proud of in that young man.

Our friend E sounds like a solid guy, too. I do think we don't know most of the things our military men and women have to experience, we just keep hearing the bashing from the left and media. I sure do get sick of it.

And Brian...well, yes, I just look forward to the party...

Dori

5:22 PM  
Blogger Mahndisa S. Rigmaiden said...

10 01 06

Hey Bill:
Thanks for sharing some bonafide news about our soldiers. I am praying for them. War is hell, but sometimes necessary. I pray that we can have as many soldiers come home as possible,and that upon their return we will treat them with the respect and love they deserve for their sacrifices!

1:22 AM  
Blogger Lucy Stern said...

It's good to read real letters for the guys that are out in the field. Glad to hear that you are sending "care packages" to them. We all need to show more love to our service men and women.

I wish the "drive by media" would just tell the truth and quit pushing their own agenda..

Thanks for sharing the letters.

6:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh Billy, this brought tears to my eyes. God Bless Them! Your Grandson is a very nice looking boy..and i will pray for him and for every one of them to be save and healthy when they come back to the US.

Love,
Ginger

10:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your grandson is wonderful! We will continue to pray for him, and for his commander's family, who lost his life fighting for our continued freedom.

I worry so much for our grandchildren if we do not contain the terrorists. I became aware through you, Bill, that nothing stays the same (your lecture to Los Serenos on Geomorphology). And I see the future for America as much changed if we do not actively work towards protecting our freedom.

Joan

10:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nothing is more important than relationships...

Bill, Dori is right, "when's the celebration?"..I know Dave is still recovering, but perhaps next week or two, before October is over, we can get together for dinner, or lunch or something, to celebrate Brian's safe passage home!

Karen

10:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

God Bless Them, Bill, and their wonderful families.

Rose

10:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Unsung heroes!

What a heartache. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your grandson's commander... may he rest in peace and eternal glory. These young men and women are paying the ultimate sacrifice to protect us all and all they receive is abuse from the media.

God bless our troops!

Anthony

1:49 PM  

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