Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:27:26 -0000
From: "PJ" <
[email protected]>
Subject: Something touching.....
For those of you who haven't seen this. I caught reference to it on
the forums.prospero.com/firefly site...it was a link to a posting on
the fireflyfans.net site. Whether true or not I can't attest to but
still something that touched me.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STATIC
Murphy's Second Law of Combat: If your attack is going particularly
well, you've walked into an ambush.
I know that a couple of people who are not real thrilled that some of
us soldier-type guys shout out firefly-isms during combat, and I can
honestly understand that. However, I hope that Joss and Tim read this
and find it inspiring, and I hope that everyone feels their guts knot
up as much as I did. . .and maybe a tear or two will well up in your
eyes, as they are streaming down my face just from the telling of
this. . .
As you all know, I've been a soldier stationed in Afghanistan for
quite some time now. Many of you know that I'm posting this from my
own home tonight, as I have been permitted to come home for ten days
on leave. It's been a very long time since I've been home. I flew from
Afghanistan to Frankfurt via military cargo jet (C-17 for those 'in
the know'), and the next morning, we got on a commercial flight to
Chicago. I got off the plane, grabbed my big-assed duffel bags and
prepared to wait in line for customs, and to my delight, the Customs
officers were pulling any soldier-types out of line and passing them
through, with a pat on the back and a 'welcome home'. I immediately
had to re-check my bags for my final flight, and after doing so, I
made a beeline outside. I crossed the street and walked into the snow,
the first I'd seen since January 2003, and stood at the base of the
American Flag for a second before I finally became overwhelmed and
fell to my knees. I grabbed a double handful of snow and rubbed it all
over my face. When I stood up, I realized there were almost 20 other
soldiers with me, all who had the same idea. Most of us didn't know
each other at all, but for that moment, we were brothers who had been
best of friends all our lives.
We decided to head on inside, and one young man, his name was Mike,
was still overwhelmed with emotion and could not stand. Another
soldier, a friend of his, went to lift Mike, and I took Mike's other
arm. Mike smiled weakly and thanked us. Here's where it gets tough to
even tell the story, and I hope Joss and Tim read this. . .
Mike's friend said, "You know the saying, Mikey. . .when you can't run
anymore you crawl. . ." and before he could say anymore, I finished it
for him. "And when you can't do that anymore, you find someone to
carry you."
Mike and his buddy, and about half the guys who were standing there
with us all smiled. We looked up at the flag and Mike said, "They
didn't take the sky from us." Turns out they were all Browncoats, and
they were home from Iraq for good.
Joss, Tim and all the rest of you. . .I don't know if you had any idea
that what you created would be so powerful, and provide such
inspiration for those of us who serve, but it does. Thank you.
And to all of you whom I've come to call my friends on this site,
thank YOU. Because of your love and support, the 'bad guys' are unable
to take the sky from ME.
I'M HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Makes ya proud to be a Browncoat eh?