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Oct 19, 2007
> ************************************************** *************************
> SGT. Edmund John Jeffer's last few words were some of the most touching,
> inspiring and most truthful words spoken since the tragedy of 9/11 - and since
> our nation went to war.
>
> SGT. Jeffers was a strong soldier and talented writer. He died in Iraq on
> September 19, 2007. He was a loving husband, brother and son. His service
> was more than this country could ever grasp - but the least you can do for the
> man who sacrificed his life for you... is listen to what he had to say.
>
> Listen up and pay attention to all of the Cindy Sheehans and Al Frankens of
> the world. To MSNBC, CNN, and CBS. To all who call themselves Americans...
> Hope Rides Alone.
> ************************************************** *************************
>
>
> Hope Rides Alone
> By Eddie Jeffers :
> I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to
> the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble,
> and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of
> their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device
> that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the
> lives of others.
>
> I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young
> American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow
> them to see their families again... and yet, I too, am just a bo y... my age
> not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am
> scared, and I am paranoid... because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it
> calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.
>
> There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions
> that are not my own... but that are necessary for survival. I've made
> compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are
> my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets... who feel the same
> things, whether they admit to it or not.
>
> And to think, I volunteered for this... And I am ignorant to the rest of the world... or so I thought.
>
> But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams > and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back
> into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And
> then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and
> see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our
> President to Hitler.
>
> I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al
> Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths
> about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it
> is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls
> scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls,
> because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman
> is nineteen years old. T he average rank of soldiers killed in action is
> Private First Class.
>
> People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the
> results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't
> realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva
> Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the
> enemy's brutality just because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the
> horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The
> enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is
> effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this
> war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the
> inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the en emy
> changes... only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is
> transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming
> the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it.
>
> But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war
> we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society... and they
> are becoming our enemy.
>
> Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and
> compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming
> like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and
> military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military
> at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third
> times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now
> with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
>
> Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the Internet... and
> there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of
> battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even
> jailed... for doing their job.
>
> It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this.
> Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to
> be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is
> thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the
> opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells
> being detained o r killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up
> their hatred of Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might
> show people that Bush was right.
>
> America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is
> right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American
> people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It's not like
> World War Two, where people rationed food, and turned in cars to be made into
> metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice
> anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a service
> member, its life as usual... the war doesn't affect you.
>
> But it affects us. And when it is over, and the troops come home, and they
> try to piec e together what's left of them after their service... where will
> the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk
> to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most
> of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their
> friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the
> horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain
> about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the
> young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.
>
> We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in
> life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is
> safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be
> abducted, raped, and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists
> demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given
> them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause, and see it to its
> end. But the country must unite in this endeavor... we cannot place the
> burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in
> uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon
> stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our
> cause.
>
> Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, Hope
> Rides Alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only
> failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.
>
> Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's
> stop all the bad news, and let's stand and fight!
>
> ************************************************** *************************
> SGT. Edmund John Jeffer's last few words were some of the most touching,
> inspiring and most truthful words spoken since the tragedy of 9/11 - and since
> our nation went to war.
>
> SGT. Jeffers was a strong soldier and talented writer. He died in Iraq on
> September 19, 2007. He was a loving husband, brother and son. His service
> was more than this country could ever grasp - but the least you can do for the
> man who sacrificed his life for you... is listen to what he had to say.
>
> Listen up and pay attention to all of the Cindy Sheehans and Al Frankens of
> the world. To MSNBC, CNN, and CBS. To all who call themselves Americans...
> Hope Rides Alone.
> ************************************************** *************************
>
>
> Hope Rides Alone
> By Eddie Jeffers :
> I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to
> the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble,
> and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of
> their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device
> that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the
> lives of others.
>
> I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young
> American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow
> them to see their families again... and yet, I too, am just a bo y... my age
> not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am
> scared, and I am paranoid... because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it
> calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.
>
> There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions
> that are not my own... but that are necessary for survival. I've made
> compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are
> my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets... who feel the same
> things, whether they admit to it or not.
>
> And to think, I volunteered for this... And I am ignorant to the rest of the world... or so I thought.
>
> But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams > and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back
> into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And
> then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and
> see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our
> President to Hitler.
>
> I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al
> Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths
> about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it
> is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls
> scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls,
> because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman
> is nineteen years old. T he average rank of soldiers killed in action is
> Private First Class.
>
> People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the
> results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't
> realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva
> Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the
> enemy's brutality just because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the
> horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The
> enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is
> effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this
> war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the
> inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the en emy
> changes... only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is
> transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming
> the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it.
>
> But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war
> we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society... and they
> are becoming our enemy.
>
> Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and
> compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming
> like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and
> military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military
> at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third
> times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now
> with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
>
> Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the Internet... and
> there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of
> battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even
> jailed... for doing their job.
>
> It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this.
> Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to
> be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is
> thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the
> opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells
> being detained o r killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up
> their hatred of Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might
> show people that Bush was right.
>
> America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is
> right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American
> people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It's not like
> World War Two, where people rationed food, and turned in cars to be made into
> metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice
> anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a service
> member, its life as usual... the war doesn't affect you.
>
> But it affects us. And when it is over, and the troops come home, and they
> try to piec e together what's left of them after their service... where will
> the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk
> to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most
> of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their
> friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the
> horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain
> about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the
> young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.
>
> We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in
> life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is
> safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be
> abducted, raped, and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists
> demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given
> them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause, and see it to its
> end. But the country must unite in this endeavor... we cannot place the
> burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in
> uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon
> stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our
> cause.
>
> Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, Hope
> Rides Alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only
> failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.
>
> Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's
> stop all the bad news, and let's stand and fight!
>