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Thank You
Streetlights erectly stand equally distant apart like sentinels along the interior perimeter road. Their illumination is diffused by the ever present layer of desert dust that floats in the air. A cacophony of chugging gas generators can be heard as they power the installation. Surrounding our enclave is a network of earthen berms, guard towers, and a 12 ft high fence crowned with concertina wire. No one approaches unnoticed. Not far away the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers merge. The Garden of Eden once flourished somewhere close by. I am in the cradle of civilization. Lord knows I long to be with my family, to share lengthy embraces and to participate in the usual array of annual celebrations. But this past year, I volunteered to stand to the watch. It is my duty. It is my calling. The austere conditions and relentless pace of operations are not sacrifices, but mere inconveniences. Our fight against terrorism was forged in the ashes of 9/11. This is our generation’s legacy, and I am in Iraq.
As the recent receipt of your heartfelt patriotism toward U.S. Service Members serving around the globe this holiday season, I am writing to personally thank you for the three large boxes generously filled with of coffees and cocoas. My compatriots and I enjoy your gift everyday. By way of introduction, I am a helicopter pilot who has served in the United States Navy for twenty three years. I am married, have three girls (ages 21, 19, & 16), and am a resident of Pensacola, Florida.
I am assigned to a Navy unit that supports the U.S. Army’s First Armor Division, commanding 25,000 soldiers engaged in combat operations throughout Iraq’s seven most northern provinces; an area roughly 49,991 square miles, equivalent in size to Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire combined. This area of the country is renowned as the most violent and highly contested region in all of Iraq. My temporary home, Contingency Operating Base Speicher, is strategically located approximately 100 miles NNW of Baghdad outside the city of Tikrit, Iraq. I lead a small group of approximately 100 military and civilian personnel whose principle purpose to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum. Terrorists use electronic signals to arm and explode homemade bombs called Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices. We attempt to thwart their efforts.
I understand it isn’t recognition you seek. In what can be a very tense, laborious and sometimes traumatic environment, you can rest assured that I am inspired by your gesture of kindness. There are no words to describe the sense of strength and worth a Military Service Member gets from the support of fellow Americans just like you. Love is expected from those you know and love. But, unfeigned appreciation from someone you don’t know is a special gift indeed.
While we know your thoughts and prayers are for our safety. As liberty and freedom are a legacies passed to us by previous generations, we too fight in distant lands so peace and prosperity in America will continue and flourish in the years to come.
For us, home is not just a place, it’s a goal. Thank you for remembering us. Please know your gratitude was warmly received and sincerely appreciated.
With abiding respect and admiration,
CAPT Markus H., USN
OIC, JCCS-1 MND-N (1st AD)
“We don’t fight because we hate what’s in front of us, but because we love what’s behind us.” - Anonymous