----- Original Message ----- 

 
Subject: Checking in...

Hey Mom and Dad!
 
Just wanted to check in and see how you are doing?

I received your email/joke last night while we were in

the middle of a mission.  Sorry, I couldn't respond

right away, but the humor was much needed.  Things

are going well.  I am sorry that the news is painting

such a negative picture of what is going on over

here.  The situation isn't nearly as bad as the reports

and questions that I have been receiving from people

in the States.  I guess it is the 'glass half empty' /

'the sky is falling' attitude that the American News

Media that has the population brainwashed into

perceiving everything as being negative and evil and

that we are experiencing 'dark times' and 'bad things

are happening in the Middle East and 'our soldiers

are dying useless terrible deaths for no reason.'  The

world is not as negative a place as the media would

have you believe.  Good things happen all the time,

but I guess the attitude is: 'why would you want to

hear someone having a good life?'  If something

happens good to someone and not to me/everyone,

then 'someone might feel bad."  We can't have people

feel bad, so, let's broadcast how bad it is somewhere

else or how bad that the government made an

incorrect decision or couldn't protect everyone, that

way everyone feels the same way----SCARED!   Yes,

this is being said by someone who feels the very

occasional concussion of some far off explosion and

hears gun fire during Mass or as I drift off to sleep at

night, but at no time to I feel any different or unsafe

than I do if I were walking through downtown St.

Louis.  Being scared and having fear are natural, but

it is nothing to obsess over.  Just think about what

the news reels used to state about the battles in

WWII.  They didn't dwell on battle losses or how bad

the soldiers had it...or how many deaths there

were.....they talked about the winning spirit of the

American Fighting Men and Women.  They were

positive!  They were unifying!  They kept people

anticipating the end of the war, but willing to give up

what it took to win it - How nice it would be to have

that back again!!? I think we had it in 2001-02, but

now it is too hard, inconvenient, and scary to say

that 'you' support the President in his efforts to

protect and defend our way of life.  (Everybody

'Thinks' they can do better than him, but he is only a

man who has made the best decisions he could with

the information he had at the particular time.  Oh,

and have you noticed how he has aged since taking

office?  I don't think you could pay me enough to do

what he does and perform his duties.  Right or wrong,

he has done what we elected him to do....lead this

country! And he is doing it!!!)  While I am still on my

rant, I guess I would also like to ping on one more

things about the media. They are quick to point out

how many soldiers have died while over here, but

they forget one 'little' piece of the statistic....who

many soldiers have served here.  As we approach

2,300 deaths, I ask you to continue to pray for these

AWESOME men and women who have paid the

ultimate sacrifice, but I also want to remind you that

no matter how tragic their deaths are, there have

been over one million service member that have been

through this part of the world in support of the War

on Terrorism.  Even just rounding the numbers, it is

0.0023% of the service members that have served. 

Being a math man/accountant, I think you can

appreciate the statistical analysis that it is more

dangerous to drive a car on US highways than it is to

serve in the military over here --- and we have high

powered assault weapons!   Just something to

think about!  (also 2,300 - we lost more than that in

the first couple of hours on the beaches of

Normandy, or in the first half a day at the Battle of

Gettysburg. Hmmmmmm  No whining after those

battles!!!!)
 
Oh well, I didn't mean to drag on, but I haven't

written in a while and I figured I needed to send

another literary rant to occupy your mind and

thoughts.  I probably would send this out to more

people, but I lost my address book on my computer

when it crashed last week, so, I will leave that to

you.  Thanks and talk to you soon!
 
LOVE and MISS YOU!!
Chuck