From the Heart.

Dear Soldier,

            I do not know your name. I probably never will. I probably will never see your face, or hear what you did for me. But thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your loyalty, and for your commitment to our country. I can’t even pretend to know what you could be going through. No one can. Even though you are normal people, probably the same age that I am, you are different. Your experiences in war set you apart. I can’t relate to them. Who can? Only your fellow soldiers. But do not feel alone. Your family your friends, your admirers are all supporting you. The day you come home will be the happiest day of your mother’s life. Your father will never feel prouder. To see that, to know how much they truly love you and missed you is a special feeling. Not many people get to feel that that strongly from their parents, because their parents did not fear for you day and night for months on end. You are their hero. You are my hero too. You are not superhuman. You have no great strength, no impenetrable armor. But you still fight for your country, and the people that you love. That is because you possess something much more important than super-abilities: a heart. Your heart, and the sacrifices it compels you to make are what make you such a hero. Anybody can be brave. Only a few can be a soldier.

Thank you, and God bless,

Joey Durbin