Letters From Home

Letters From Home'Mail Delivers Emotion'

    As we have studied and watched different war stories throughout the semester, we have seen many different viewpoints on how things are overseas and back home.  The different angles that we have seen have provided us with various opinions of war and soldiers.  One thing that has been constant, however, is the fact that a soldier in any era goes through trials and struggles during his term of service.  One song that always reminds me of this is “Letters From Home” by John Michael Montgomery.  This is a song of a soldier overseas receiving letters and explaining how much those letters mean to him.  What do these soldiers really feel when they receive these letters?  Realistically, we would think that these soldiers feel very happy when they receive letters from home, but is this how they really feel?

    I believe that many soldiers feel uplifted when they get letters from loved ones.  Hearing from them probably gives them a reminder of why they are fighting.  Wives make it known to their husband how much they miss them and love them. PArents make it known to their sons how proud they are of them.  These letters can make you feel better about your duties and job.  What about the ones that don’t have anyone to send them letters?  We think that all soldiers have a strong family connection back in the states, but this is not true.  Not all soldiers have someone that they can Facetime three days a week and talk on the phone too.  Soldiers with families have an extra backbone helping them withstand the pressures of war during their time of leave.  The ones with no family are facing some of the world’s toughest challenges with no one assisting them besides the men fighting with them.  Their fellow soldiers offer some great support, but they just can’t offer the love and affection sent from home.

    I believe that some soldiers would also feel very upset for leaving the states when they receive letters.  A father might only get to tell his daughter happy birthday through a letter if he is in a very remote place.  A father might break down when he realizes he missed his sons first touchdown.  Can you imagine receiving a letter that said one of your high school best friends had passed away when you were three thousand miles away?  I would feel so hopeless and hate myself for not being in town to be with my friends and family while mourning the death of a friend.

    All-in-all, letters from home can carry a variety of emotions with them.  Some letters will of course be happy and joyous, but we need to realize that not all letters are covered in stickers and glitter.  Some letters are covered with blood and remorse.  As if everything that happens on the battlefield isn’t tough enough on them already, they then have to deal with all the things happening back in the states with their familes or lack thereof.  This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘fighting a battle on two fronts.”Sending home kisses

Married To The Bomb

Married To The Bomb

In the movie we watched this past week, “The Hurt Locker”, we saw how the soldiers live their lives on a day-to-day basis.  We saw more than just nasty war scenes.  We saw more than just American soldiers firing hot lead into the enemy.  We saw more than dead bodies lying bloody on the streets.  In the movie, we finally get to see the psychological side to a soldier’s mind.  We finally get to see some things these soldiers do when they aren’t on specialized missions.  We saw many things they do to pass time and to enjoy themselves.  At the end of the film, we finally get to see how difficult it is for some of these soldiers upon arrival back to the United States.  But, what is it like adjusting to the real life after living the military life for so long?  How can he or she repair relationships with family members and loved ones back home?

    The things that these soldiers have to adjust to are far more severe than we will ever realize.  Having to go from full blown battle field to normal 9-5 workday is an immense change.  In The Hurt Locker we see how difficult it is during one scene.  We see James in a grocery store having a mental breakdown over one simple decision such as choosing a cereal to buy.  These soldiers deal with situations like this on a daily basis in America.  They have to make such major decisions in the battlefield to simple decisions at a grocery store.  Psychologists have done research to show that many soldiers cannot evolve back into the normal life.  They find that some of these soldiers, such as James, are so addicted to the things they did overseas that it consumes their lives and their thoughts.  The quote “War is a drug” opens the film and the film proves that to be true.  We see this implied throughout the movie with James defusing bombs.  He lives to defuse bombs, just as an addict would live for that next high.  He would go out of his way and put himself and his men in danger just to find a bomb to defuse.  The way his character was portrayed was scrutinized by many different soldiers, veterans, and movie critics.  Some people think that he was portrayed as something that no soldier wants to be seen as.  Soldiers say that they do everything by the book and are very cautious and they hate being portrayed as a savage by movie producers and other  members of the media.

    After returning from war, these soldiers have to rehab many relationships that have suffered over their time of service.  The family members back home have a very tough job to cater to their loved one and try to help them out.  These family members are often neglected by the soldiers and treated cruelly by them.  The men or women that are arriving  home probably feel grateful to have made it back, but once the reality of normalcy sets in, these war heroes often feel depressed about what has happened, what they missed while gone, and the things they have seen.  Families have to be patient with the family and provide them with crucial advice to help repair their relationships.  The ones that the soldier talks to  doesn’t have a clue what he has witnessed, but he or she must try their best to understand and do their best to make the veteran feel better.

In conclusion, the families that are blessed to have a soldier be a part of their lives have it pretty tough upon their return home.  They have to deal with post traumatic stress disorder, excruciating flashbacks, mental problems, scarred memories, and dysfunctional mindsets.  These soldiers  cannot control the way they feel or the way they act.  Their minds have been trained to act and think a certain way.  The way they think cannot be changed over night, yet it takes years to control what goes on in ones brain and in their thought process.  Families have to realize this truth and apply the concept to their lives to help the heartbroken veterans on a daily basis.  Relationships cannot be repaired by one person, it takes two to tango.

BlackHawk Down

 

 

 

Black Hawk Helicopter

 

 

 

 

The movie Black Hawk Down has been enjoyed my millions and millions of people all over the world.  The viewers of this movie have seen a great insight into the happenings in Mogadishu in 1993.  These events hit very close to home to me because some of the soldiers were the exact same age as me.   When you realize how dedicated these young men were to their country what, it gives you a great sense of respect for them.  I could not imagine going to war in a foreign country at my age right now.  The things these young men saw at Mogadishu affected them for the rest of their lives.  What are the different emotions someone would feel if they made the decision to fight for our country?

 

First, some would feel very proud.  When you take on such great responsibility, you are looked up to by many people back home.  Soldiers should be looked at as the elite American by all U.S. citizens.  These men and women know that they are risking their lives when going overseas, and therefore are very proud when they receive a warm welcome upon returning.  Soldiers can accomplish many different missions and awards, and are held in the highest regards once they do.  Soldiers should feel very proud of the time they served and the things they accomplished.

 

 

 

Soldiers in full gear

 

 

Although some soldiers are very proud of their service, some are also very regretful of the decision they made.  Post traumatic stress disorder is a very real problem that faces these soldiers in their post war lives.  These soldiers are bashed by rude people that say they are "baby-killers" or other cruel terms.  People that have no sense of respect for these soldiers treat them poorly in all different ways.  It could be a word said, a sign in the yard, or even a post on social media.  These men and women do not deserve the treatment they receive but it is an inevitable reality.  The way these men and women are treated by certain people makes them feel like the scum of the Earth.  After all they have done for our country, they should receive the highest respect instead of the lowest neglect.  They suffer enough with nightmares and other thoughts of what they have witnessed and remember.  They do not need anymore stress laid upon them by the people they serve to protect.

 

All-in-all the personality of these soldiers differ immensely and they all feel different things.  Normal civilians have no true idea of the things that these soldiers have seen.  We can watch every war movie ever made but we would still never be able to truly grasp the reality of war.  That is why we should all truly respect the things these men and women do, whether it agrees with our morals or not. Every thing they do is for our safety and the betterment of our country. They are fighting for the flag of our country and everything it represents; therefore, we should stand behind them with overwhelming support.

 

Old Glory

 

 

 



General Lee

Confederate General Robert Edward Lee



Many know General Robert Edward Lee as the commanding force of the Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.  However, many do not realize the intelligence of this man.  At 18, He enrolled at West Point Academy and graduated second in his class.  Biography.com says, "He was one of just six cadets in his graduating class who finished without a single demerit, and wrapped up his studies with perfect scores in artillery, infantry and cavalry."  All of these feats were singularly unheard of in the days of serious military schools, such as West Point.  Because of the fact that Lee achieved all of these things during his tenure at West Point, he is known as one of the smartest military men this nation has ever seen.

Of the many different quotes from Lee that I have run across, one that really interests me is "The education of a man is never completed until he dies." This quote interests me because of the vagueness instilled in it.  What does Lee really mean when he says this?

I tried to put my thoughts and mind into those of the military genius' Robert Edward Lee.   In his life, Lee had learned just about everything a man could learn when it comes to military strategy, tactic, history, and future.  If this man was so packed full of knowledge, how can he say his education is not complete?  I think Lee has a great point with this quote.  What Lee is trying to say is, no matter what goes on in your every day life, you learn something new every single day.  An education is not only earned while in school or with your face in a book; new information to learn is available everywhere we look.  Even if a man is on his death bed, he can learn something; however, it may not be the type of education that we are used to but learning is learning.  Many things cannot be learned while we are healthy beings, but must be witnessed when we are at our worst.  Education continues throughout a man or woman's life until the day that person takes their last breath.  This being said, we should all keep an open mind to learning anything and everything we can until we cannot learn anymore.

About Me

 

Hi, I'm Caleb Williams and welcome to Custom War Chronicles.  I am from Guntersville, Alabama and have lived there my whole life.  I grew up hunting, fishing, playing sports, and spending my summers on the lake.  I love the outdoors and all athletic activities.  I played basketball in high school.  I am a freshman on JSU campus, and my major is finance. I am majoring in finance because I like to take care of people's money and manage it to their benefit. I would like to become a CFO for a large company upon graduation from JSU.