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Prayers for a friend of the family

GypsyGraphics

New Member
26 years old and in his second tour in Afghanistan! what a horrible price to pay for his dedication!

at the very least deserves our prayers!
 

Arlo Kalon 2.0

New Member
My very firstborn nephew just got back from his 3rd tour of Afghanistan and he was fighting in Kandahar and the Helmand Province - the two hottest places to be. We prayed daily he would make it home to meet his first son born while he was away. He was the oldest son of my sister who recently passed.

He made it home safe and while he was here from NC for his Mom's funeral, I got to have him alone at my home with me half a day and ask him about the fighting. I asked first for permission to ask anything I wanted and he said sure. I said "Josh, do you know how many insurgents you've nailed?". He said it was somewhere around 20, and he said it with a beaming smile which somewhat unnerved me. I practically helped raise this kid. He said "ya wanna see a website where Marines post their own video footage of the fighting? I'm in it." I watched a firefight where I saw Marines dropping, but where a concrete building was leveled to dust with Humvee mounted machine gun fire. They counted 70 dead insurgents inside. Josh late told me a guy right next to him had his head blown completely off, only one of his buddies who dropped nearby to him.

I said surely you won't go back. He said "hell yes I'm going back." I can't fathom the bravery of our young men and women who want to go fight that war. He told me we aren't ever going to win it. Arab fighters are constantly pouring in from other countries and will never give up. I said maybe we should nuke 'em but realized we'd be annihilating millions of peaceful people who just want to live their lives in peace.

I have no idea what the answer is, but until one comes, we will always have severely maimed soldiers coming home like the one mentioned in this post. My heart goes out to his family.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Prayers to him and his family..... and let him know we DO appreciate his service, dedication and brave sacrifices for his country. :wavingflag:



:unclesam:
 

showcase 66

New Member
Just got back from a charity dinner for Jordan. Got to talk to his wife and brothers. He was flown into Germany on Friday and yesterday was the first day they actually got some information. They were originally told he lost both legs below the knees but after talking to the doctors in Germany. They found out that one was gone just above the knee and the other had to be taken up to almost the hip. They also found out that there was 8 marines in the IED blast and 1 died in the blast.

He should be back in the States by the end of next week but wont be here for a couple of months.
 

phototec

New Member
My prayers go out to Jordan

Well, it's hard for me to keep reading about our young men/women having to do so many tours in Afghanistan, don't get me wrong, I'm no bleeding heart liberal, I served 18 months in Viet Nam as a teenager, and believe in our military and taking the fight to the enemy. However, back in my day, the government initiated the DRAFT, and I believe that is a much more fair and equal way to enforce our presence around the world.

I think (I know some may not agree), it should be the burden of all of us FREEDOM lovers to pay the price for FREEDOM, not just a select few. FREEDOM is not FREE, and all who enjoy it in this country should have to serve, and spread out the service so only one tour is required by any one individual.

Like others here, I have a relative who has served several tours in Afghanistan, and he made it back ok on the first and second tour, but on his third tour, he was blown up in a HumVee, loosing his left foot and right leg below his knee. Talking to him, he actually feels lucky, because he survived, all the other members in the HumVee were KIA.

Last Easter when we talked about his incident, I told him then, that I was opposed to ANYONE having to serve multiple tours in a combat zone, while others back here at home, sit on there FAT A** drinking beer and watching TV or playing video games, it's just not fair at all.

I think, if the government wanted to go over to Afghanistan and make war, they should have started the DRAFT, and then maybe they would of had enough of a fighting force to spread it out, like when I was served in Viet Nam, and only be required to serve one tour.

After getting my orders to go to Viet Nam and making the 30+ hour flight, I knew it would only be 365 days and a wake-up, unless killed or injured bad enough to be transported home, but not mandatory to serve another tour, although I did volunteer to extend my tour by 6 months to get an early out of the Army, my choice.

When I served in Viet Nam in 1969, there were over 500,000 combined forces in country, and 283,586 of them had been drafted through the Selective Service System. I think we should have Conscription, just like Israel!

My prayers go out to Jordan and all the other men & women who are in harms way defending us, and this great nation!

:wavingflag:
 

phototec

New Member
Lost my son 4 years ago in Iraq. I feel their pain and they have my prayers. I think of my son every day.

I offer her my sincerest condolences for the loss of your son.

Let me paraphrase Abraham Lincoln:

"...I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming...I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice..."

My heart goes out to you.


Jon
 

Sign-Man Signs

New Member
I offer her my sincerest condolences for the loss of your son.

Let me paraphrase Abraham Lincoln:

"...I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming...I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice..."

My heart goes out to you.


Jon

Thank you for the kind words. I too served in Vietnam, the Republic of., two tours. Then as now, war is nothing anyone should go through. First hand, it's a total waste. Our presence, no matter what the politicians think, is not welcome. Now we're in Libia. When I was young I thought I was invincible and bullet proof. After being wounded on my second tour, I discovered I wasn't. The kids today they are sending to the arenas I think have better idea or expectation of what's happening.
Although I didn't vote for our current President, I did expect him to do as he campaigned to pull our troops out of harms way. I have to wonder if we will ever elect a leader that understands that it's not our responsibility to force democracy down the throats of other countries at the price of our children.
As we continue to spend billions of dollars we don't have on wars in other lands, our loved ones die, the commercial interest is guarded, and we all expect "change". It makes me sick to think, we have learned nothing since Vietnam and continue our stupid ways. I love my country and would go today if I was called to do so knowing it's wrong. Yes freedom is not free. Someone always pays for it. Bless them all.
 
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