Earlier this week our extended family received an email blast from my cousin David.
He is a U.S. Marine Captain, a Battalion Judge Advocate with the 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment. In a month he’ll be heading to Afghanistan. His parents are going to Camp Lejeune to help him close down his house while he is away somewhere in Helmand Province.
In his letter, he writes, “I’m beyond excited to be deploying with the 2/8. It’s a great battalion with highly trained dedicated Marines. I know you’d be proud if you had the chance to meet them. If anyone would like to know how to send care packages to the Marines, please let me know. Once I get a mailing address for myself I’ll be sure to send that out as well. Again, thank you for all your continued support.
When I get that address, I will post it on this blog site so that you can send David and his comrades whatever you can send.
My cousin David believes in this country, what it’s doing in Afghanistan, and he is prepared to sacrifice everything as a captain in the Marines for the love he has for his country.
During the summer, my wife and I spent some time with him at a July 4th celebration near his parents’ Virginia home. Among the fireworks spectators were many officers from every branch of the military. I looked at the fireworks ceremony with different eyes. I wondered what David, who I’ve known since he was a lacrosse playing little kid, was thinking when he saw the bombs bursting in air.
So even though today is designated as Veteran’s Day. We are in a war against terrorism. It is a war that could be a deal breaker for the safety of our way of life and for that of our closest Middle East ally, Israel.
In fact, David asked me a great deal about Israel and talked of his continued support for what the IDF is up against.
For us Americans, today is Veteran’s Day, but so is tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. It isn’t going to end so soon.
When I look in the eyes of his parents, my dearest cousins, Jon and Joan, I can only imagine what they must be thinking.
Yet I do know one thing. They are proud of David. He represents the best of the best. He doesn’t have to be doing this. By now he could be working in a law firm somewhere. But he wants so dearly to help his nation and he appreciates and understands the meaning of freedom.
David, I wish you my love and God’s protection. And I hope you know that I and many others are so very proud of you.
We’ll keep an eye on your parents for you while you are away.
But thanks for keeping an eye on the rest of us

I still believe that a soldier is a soldier and when David feels up beat about going to Afghanistan I am amazed what do this marines eat to wade off the fear of death? Man Afghanistan is not home and the insurgents are just as deadly as ever.- Jordan