I am a staff sergeant in the 137th Infantry Regiment, Kansas Army National Guard. This month, 400 soldiers from the 137th will deploy to Europe to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Since we have been activated, we have received tremendous support from the community in the form of visits to the armory from the VFW and the American Legion. I have received letters from wives of World War II and Vietnam veterans wishing us godspeed and putting us on their prayer list.
We have received donations of playing cards from casinos and care packages of sundries and candy from school children. The outpouring of support from everyone has been tremendous.
I simply wish to say THANK YOU!!!
I never believed in the old adage that history repeats itself, but I must admit that if I could time travel back to WWII, when this battalion was last activated, I would have to say it probably was not that different.
The soldiers I see standing around me look like the same soldiers I see in the pictures on the wall. The emotions that the soldiers express to one another are the same ones the veterans talk about at the Legion: pride, excitement, anxiety and fear. The look of departing lovers. The tears of a child who will miss Daddy. Parents and young men saying, "I love you" for the first time in a long time.
Although the experiences we face may not be as dramatic or life-altering as those of previous conflicts, the emotions and uncertainty are still there. Even before I have gone, the thought of leaving my family puts a knot in my stomach that I will live with until I return, tears when no one is looking, a face of strength when everyone is looking.
So to the veterans we vow to maintain the honor and dignity you have passed to us. To the citizens we serve, thank you for your overwhelming support and continued prayers. To our wives, children and families, we love you and we will miss you, and to Mom, I will be home soon.
Scott Sexton,
Lawrence
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