Go raise a family
Four thousand
Today the Times published pictures of almost all of the four thousand US soldiers killed in Iraq, and also letters and fragments from blogs and notebooks of some of the fallen. I found this letter by specialist Gomez, killed on July 18, 2007 especially hard to digest:
“Hey baby. If you’re reading this, then something has happen to me and I am sorry. I promised you I would come back to you, but I guess it was a promise I could not keep. You know I never believe in writing “death letters.” I knew if I left one for my folks it would scare them. Then I met you. We were supposed to meet, darling. I needed someone to make me smile, someone that was an old romantic like I was. I was going through a very rough time in Iraq and I was startin to doubt my mental state. Then one day after a patrol, I go to my facebook and there you were...
I can’t stop crying while I writing this letter, but I have to talk to you one last time, because maybe the last time I heard your voice I did not know it would be the last time I heard your voice....
I Love You. Go be happy, go raise a family. Teach your kids right from wrong, and have faith, darling. I think I knew I loved you even before I met. I love you, Katy. Kiss Goodbye”
But then as dr. Goebbles said, The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.
Surreal
One can relate to someone writing his (or her) 'goodbye' letter before commiting suicide to a certain extent, but this excerpt is very surreal.What would specialist Gomez's thoughts have been. moments before his death ?
In general, I believe it to be one of man's most horrific moments in life. After that - hopefully everything will be peaceful...
RIP mr. Gomez
Sad so sad. For what purpose?
Jan T
I disagree; I don’t think there is unconditional optimism in this letter. What should he have written? Stay alone forever; never forget me, mourn for me the rest of your days? You were too harsh, but maybe I took this letter too personal.None of all this, Arnon.
A very simple sentence like “Teach your kinds to be very careful who they want to follow and please inform yourself, do not believe politician blindly” That would have made all the difference.
Those words you can so often read on soldiers letters in the musea of WO I on Flanders Fields. All the love and care and life goes on is OK form me, Arnon, but at least there is a faint sense of doubt or anxiety to the future. That is what I was missing and that is what I call unconditional optimism.
Jan T
I’m not sure if I want to bring up politics in a farewell letter to a beloved one.But maybe I’m too Americanized.
I only mean I would have chosen another letter; I am not so found of smooth words without a trace of doubt, anger or even hate. There are enough other letters who do express those feelings. I think that is rather a personal taste. But to call those rather negative feelings ‘political’ is one bridge to far for me. I know, some people consider even the tiniest feeling of doubt and the urge to inform yourself already as an act of insubordination, defeatisms, and why not, terrorism, like ‘who is not with me is against me.’
I regret I used the word American for smoothness, although I have some reasons.
I simply cannot accept you would indulge in such simple reasoning, although I understand you often live under great pressure and you cunningly avoided the trap of the Brussels Tribunaal, that is for sure and that is how I see it.
No hard feelings.
Jan T
I didn’t mean to engage in a debate about the war in Iraq, I don’t think there is much need for such a debate, it’s hard to find people in Europe or New York for that matter who believe that the war was such a great idea, I just meant to say that you cannot expect a soldier writing his farewell-letter to doubt politicians --to bring it up, as if it still matters at that time.If the war had been just, would that have made his death easier, for him and for his beloved ones?
I’m not sure what you mean with simple reasoning. I found this letter very emotional. That’s basically all.
This has nothing to do with the Brussels Tribunal; I think I explained in the current issue of Humo why I didn’t want to participate in this tribunal.
