Never Too old

There once was a man, 89 years old, body failing, hands crimped and eyes seeing less of the world each day. But that man would sit in his rocking chair, quiet and lonely, with nothing to do except write his thoughts. His children have grown, and his grandchildren have grown, so with no one to talk to, his pen and paper were his family opposite of visiting days. For hours on end, he would ponder his life; marriage, children, or what the world looked like to him back when. This man's life filled with sorrowful stories, family life as a boy, war stories of his time in service; happy stories of his parent’s dedication to family and hard work. No matter what the content, as he wrote about his life, sitting in his chair, you could always see the joy. It was not so much joy for the story that he was telling, it was not because he lived a grand life, in fact, and his life was quite difficult. Yet it was the joy for the life he was leaving behind, knowing that all his words, scribbled and hard to read at times, would one day become a pillar of family knowledge. This man was a quiet man, who only spoke when he felt it important, or if he was telling one of his childhood tales to one of his grandchildren and eventually great-grandchildren. This elderly man always inspired to one day to be a writer. His dream was to see his words taken from his notebooks, and highlighted in a storybook of his life. He would keep track of current events, top news stories, and even look to his past to write and compare the future. He had many opinion columns published in editorials, of local news, and it would always astound the journalists that this man only had a sixth grade education. He always said that reading and writing was a way to success, and that a well-written person could achieve anything when they used words of impression. He taught everyone around him that if you can write your memories, your opinions, you will always remain sharp minded, and conscious of what life has given you. Writing made him happy, despite the content of what he was writing, he always remembered. He died two years ago, with all his thoughts now quietly sitting on paper. You are never too old to become a writer, never! As you grow old, you see and feel life’s adventures, differently and any seasoned writer will tell you, that the work of a younger person is far comparable to the wisdom of a well versed older person.

Tired of TAG Chasers

I think after a recent blogger I have to speak up about what I see a lot of lately with the increase of troop support and mostly letter/email exchanges as a whole. I have been doing the adopt a platoon, adopt a soldier, letter writing, holiday campaigns for a long time. I have made some of the best and closest of friends by doing so, including from military support websites and military networking, so I am very familiar in how things work. Let me start off by saying that it is a wonderful way to say thank you, and show support around the world, and I LOVE doing it.

I started writing letters, care packages when I started to realize what the stories my grandfather used to tell me as a child growing up really meant to him. I watched my grandfather's health deteriorate slowly over the years but his mind and memory of his time of service during the war stood strong right up to the day of his death 1 year ago!! His pride in his country never deteriorated even when life was slowly slipping away from him. He cried on 9/11 just like most of us, but not just for the people who died. He cried and said "God Bless our Boys, we are going to war" and sat silently remembering what that meant to him as a young man.

I have some advise for people who look at supporting the military as a way to "hook up" or land a man/woman with tags... Don't!! Yea they are polite, friendly, calm and wonderful people to have conversations with, they love what they do and have a incredible passion for it. They have a greater respect for human life and usually will vote for the underdog, Help that disabled person get up, and help walk an elderly woman across a busy street, because of they type of person it takes to be military that is who they are!! But reading more into it than that does not provide them with support, Only listening intently and understanding will do that.

This is not what supporting our military is all about. Seriously I have seen way too many people who begin with simple conversations , short or long letters and then they start to fantasize about what it would be like to meet them, be with them, ect ect.. When you write to someone whom you have never met in person it is easy to say things you would not be able to say to someone face to face, then you add in the fact that these men and women who are deployed, are away from their families, friends, they get lonely, and sad and they need more support than ever. They look forward to getting letters from home, goodies they can't get by walking to a corner store. They look forward to hearing how life is for us here, and they look forward to sharing their life style away from home. Sharing how they feel, what they think about while being in downtime, is all a way of distraction to keep them going. They love sharing stories, dreams, goals, feelings of happiness, love, passions is a way to keep themselves going with a sense of hope and feeling more real then just a tank driver or sniper. By writing and keeping these men and woman, going by sharing part of our lives, our goals, dreams, passions ect we are doing a great service if that is the kind of communication they enjoy. Some like to share intimate details, specially to strangers whom they know they will never be judged by nor will they on most accounts meet. They share deep details to keep them from forgetting who they are as a civilian off duty, or why they are fighting a good fight on duty. It humanizes them when they feel like machines that are doing a job to protect and entire country. It is what they love doing and yet they are human and have emotions and feelings that they have to learn when and where it is appropriate to share.... And sharing in a letter or email is a safe haven to them all. Sharing in letters to a complete stranger is safe because they know that they can be as open and honest to an outside party. Some do have wives and girlfriends back home but for a soldier it is difficult for them to talk openly and honestly as they do not want their spouse, family to worry any more then they all ready do. They know that back home wives are busy raising children and working to keep the family together and they know mom is crying at night from worry and missing a son or daughter, So they feel that talking about how they feel to them will only burden them or worry them more, which is why it is important to have pen pals from outside the military world and family world. You do a great service by helping a person whom may be lonely or missing someone, or keeping them going, with laughter and cheer.. It is a wonderful thing

The line is crossed when we supporters do not realize that they do have families, friends, wives, children and they will at some point go home. And that is when we have to be satisfied that they are going home to be with the ones they love and the ones that love them. Nine out of ten times once they say they are packing up to go home that is when we know we have done a great job and they will be going home with a smile in thier heart. Sure it is sad to say goodbye and sure we supporters will go through a withdrawal period too, because we sometimes spend a year getting to know someone, but we have to understand that it is the happiest of times for them as well. Some that we support will indeed give us home numbers and home addresses so that we can keep in contact with them, but a lot of those we support also know that when they get home they will be busy getting back into the family life and healing or mending the broken hearts they left behind.

Supporting our military is a patriotic way of keeping them going, man and women, Its not a way to land a tag or a dating service. IF you only support the military with the fantasy that he/she will get off the plane and run into your arms, that is not a service, it is a fantasy!! Sure they share deep secrets, cause they know they can be free in a letter of words, but.... We all share, everyone loves to tell thier stories, and everyone likes listening with intent to thier stories. but to read into more than what it is, certainly will leave you empty hearted and sad rather than happy and feeling as if you have done a good thing.

Like I have said earlier, I have met hundreds over the years and I share and listen... Some I still talk to and some I do not for one reason only!!! Because they are happy and home and loving thier life as they did before they were deployed. It doesn't mean they will forget us, it means they will remember us as that person that keep them going when they needed it the most, and to me that is more than enough!