7TH ENGR BDE COMMANDER REPT VOL 18A

File: 970815_sep96_decls58_0027.txt
Page: 0027
Total Pages: 49
Subject = 7TH ENGR BDE COMMANDER REPT VOL 18A                             

Parent Organization = ARCENT      

Unit = VII CORPS   

Folder Title = 7TH ENGR BDE-COMMANDER REPT-VOL 18A -FORWARD AND COMMANDERS PERSPECTIVE                         

Document Number =          1

Box ID = BX000313







                Sunday morning and a brief chapel service. Dusty soldiers
           laden with combat equipment crowded into tents for brief respite
           and spiritual rejuvenation. Big men, with heavy loads, humbled
           themselves before God asking for strength, courage, swift
           victory, and safety. No one who has served  in combat will ever
           forget the simple yet meaningful services. All know that life is
           not guaranteed.

                The sand storm hit with blinding fury. Soldiers covered
           with scarves, mask, and goggles moved about conducting normal
           duties. Visibility was less than 50 meters. Dust penetrated
           everything. Every tent, operations center, or vehicle had new
           layers of dust. It just somehow gets in no matter how hard one
           tries to prevent. Soldiers could never understand just how the
           dust gets into closed mouths. During the dust storm, soldiers
           taste and feel grit in their mouths. In spite of layers of
           clothes, socks and underwear would reveal a significant
           accumulation of sand. Somewhere, someplace, someone is drinking
           ice cold tea and taking a plunge in a beautiful swimming pool.
           There are hostile feelings toward this person. Grit in the mouth
           or underwear will cause those kinds of thoughts!

                Mail comes more infrequently as valuable haul assets are
           required to move ammunition, food, and water. Yet, we are
           continually amazed at the large number of letters coming to us
           from people we do not know or have never met. They all have the
           same theme: full support for our actions, prayers for our
           safety, and strong words of encouragement. These letters provide
           tremendous strength. The dust, fatigue, and tension melts away
           when a 10 year old girl or elderly grandmother sends their love
           and encouragement. Soldiers know America is the greatest country
           in the world and Americans are the greatest people.

                A big soldier sets in the mess tent reading aloud a letter
           from a young school girl from the midwest. Her honesty and
           sincerity is apparent to all. Everyone listens. When the letter
           is complete there is a quiet pause, then another soldier quickly
           says, "Now there's people worth fighting for!" There is a rather
           loud response from all, "Amen to that!" Another soldier says,
           "Gimmie that letter, I'm writing her back tonight." Young men
           and women far from home, facing a tough challenge, but the
           courage offered by a nine year old girl transcends distance, age,
           or race. That is why we are winners.







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