Writing a letter to a soldier in iraq???

Question

so im writing a letter to a soldier in iraq. what should i say? it needs to also include something about giving them hope

Answer 1

Just tell them "thank you." Tell them how much you appreciate what they are doing and that people back home think about them and wish them well and a safe return.

My husband has deployed twice (getting ready for numero 3 now) and always enjoyed getting thank you letters from people back here. Soldiers love mail....it is a real downer to get nothing at mail call when others are getting mail. Doesnt matter what it is or what it says, just means alot to get mail.

And I wouldnt get too personal. Dont get political. Dont try to "hook up." Just say thanks.

Answer 2

Tell them where you're from, what you like, what's going on in the US. I've been to Iraq so some of them are basically cut off from the rest of the world. You would be surprised how many soldiers don't receive any mail for an entire year...it could get really depressing. I received about 6 letters submitted from a church in Plano, TX and I actually wrote back (some people may not write back at all, but don't let that discourage you). A couple weeks after I wrote this one 16 year old, I received another letter which included a picture of her family. You never know. Best of luck.

----Honorably discharged Army veteran----

Answer 3

my ex and some friends are over there right now and I write to them all the time. Tell them whats going on in teh world here. Give them a little information about you (if you want) and in a way tell them what they are doing is very important and how everyone over here is supporting them. Give them hope and belief. Alot of the men and women over there dont get any letters or anything... so imagine it being you over there... what would u want to read?

Answer 4

Say anything positive. Just be yourself. Most of the time it is just really nice to get mail.

Think about it, you know yourself when you get a letter that is fake, so don't say things you don't mean. If you want to say 'thank you' say it. If you just want to say hello, then that is enough too.

The soldier will just be glad you took the time to reach out to them.

Answer 5

I would tell them about you, if they don't know you, I would tell them about what is going on over here, and how you are doing. I would also tell them how proud you are, and how much you appreciate the effort they are putting in. I know my Husband loves to hear about his favorite athletic teams and how school is going for me.

Answer 6

Tell them they are supporting America and keeping the terrorists "over there".
Tell them how much you appreciate the freedoms they are protecting.

Answer 7

keep it positive.Thank him/her for their sacrifice.Tell them about yourself like where you're from,interests,pets,family,
music,hobbies,

Answer 8

Tell them they are being used....they are prolonging the mistake of a Christian American Idiot..that was elected by the same

Answer 9

Mark Daily was a true American Hero. He ACTED, when everyone else just talked!

He was a political sciene graduate from UCLA, opposed to the war in Iraq. BUT, He voluntarily joined the Army and volunteered to go to Iraq! He was killed in January 2007, serving his country (and as he would say, serving mankind) in Iraq.

You should send the essay below.

--Z--

Mark Daily's essay: 'Why I Joined'

10/29/06

All,
By the time you read this I am bound for you know where. If any of you are still curious, I threw together this short essay as to why I joined the Army. Hope it answers your questions!

Love,
Mark

The Best Way Out is Through!

"Why I Joined"

This question has been asked of me so many times in so many different contexts that I thought it would be best if I wrote my reasons for joining the Army on my page for all to see. First, the more accurate question is why I volunteered to go to Iraq. After all, I joined the Army a week after we declared war on Saddam's government with the intention of going to Iraq. Now, after years of training and preparation, I am finally here.

Much has changed in the last three years. The criminal Ba'ath regime has been replaced by an insurgency fueled by Iraq's neighbors who hope to partition Iraq for their own ends. This is coupled with the ever present transnational militant Islamist movement which has seized upon Iraq as the greatest way to kill Americans, along with anyone else they happen to be standing near. What was once a paralyzed state of fear is now the staging ground for one of the largest transformations of power and ideology the Middle East has experienced since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Thanks to Iran, Syria, and other enlightened local actors, this transformation will be plagued by interregional hatred and genocide. And I am now in the center of this.

Is this why I joined?

Yes. Much has been said about America's intentions in overthrowing Saddam Hussein and seeking to establish a new state based upon political representation and individual rights. Many have framed the paradigm through which they view the conflict around one-word explanations such as "oil" or "terrorism," favoring the one which best serves their political persuasion. I did the same thing, and anyone who knew me before I joined knows that I am quite aware and at times sympathetic to the arguments against the war in Iraq. If you think the only way a person could bring themselves to volunteer for this war is through sheer desperation or blind obedience then consider me the exception (though there are countless like me).

I joined the fight because it occurred to me that many modern day "humanists" who claim to possess a genuine concern for human beings throughout the world are in fact quite content to allow their fellow "global citizens" to suffer under the most hideous state apparatuses and conditions. Their excuses used to be my excuses. When asked why we shouldn't confront the Ba'ath party, the Taliban or the various other tyrannies throughout this world, my answers would allude to vague notions of cultural tolerance (forcing women to wear a veil and stay indoors is such a quaint cultural tradition), the sanctity of national sovereignty (how eager we internationalists are to throw up borders to defend dictatorships!) or even a creeping suspicion of America's intentions. When all else failed, I would retreat to my fragile moral ecosystem that years of living in peace and liberty had provided me. I would write off war because civilian casualties were guaranteed, or temporary alliances with illiberal forces would be made, or tank fuel was toxic for the environment. My fellow "humanists" and I would relish contently in our self righteous declaration of opposition against all military campaigns against dictatorships, congratulating one another for refusing to taint that aforementioned fragile moral ecosystem that many still cradle with all the revolutionary tenacity of the members of Rage Against the Machine and Greenday. Others would point to America's historical support of Saddam Hussein, sighting it as hypocritical that we would now vilify him as a thug and a tyrant. Upon explaining that we did so to ward off the fiercely Islamist Iran, which was correctly identified as the greater threat at the time, eyes are rolled and hypocrisy is declared. Forgetting that America sided with Stalin to defeat Hitler, who was promptly confronted once the Nazis were destroyed, America's initial engagement with Saddam and other regional actors is identified as the ultimate argument against America's moral crusade.

And maybe it is. Maybe the reality of politics makes all political action inherently crude and immoral. Or maybe it is these adventures in philosophical masturbation that prevent people from ever taking any kind of effective action against men like Saddam Hussein. One thing is for certain, as disagreeable or as confusing as my decision to enter the fray may be, consider what peace vigils against genocide have accomplished lately. Consider that there are 19 year old soldiers from the Midwest who have never touched a college campus or a protest who have done more to uphold the universal legitimacy of representative government and individual rights by placing themselves between Iraqi voting lines and homicidal religious fanatics. Often times it is less about how clean your actions are and more about how pure your intentions are.

So that is why I joined. In the time it took for you to read this explanation, innocent people your age have suffered under the crushing misery of tyranny. Every tool of philosophical advancement and communication that we use to develop our opinions about this war are denied to countless human beings on this planet, many of whom live under the regimes that have, in my opinion, been legitimately targeted for destruction. Some have allowed their resentment of the President to stir silent applause for setbacks in Iraq. Others have ironically decried the war because it has tied up our forces and prevented them from confronting criminal regimes in Sudan, Uganda, and elsewhere.

I simply decided that the time for candid discussions of the oppressed was over, and I joined.

In digesting this posting, please remember that America's commitment to overthrow Saddam Hussein and his sons existed before the current administration and would exist into our future children's lives had we not acted. Please remember that the problems that plague Iraq today were set in motion centuries ago and were up until now held back by the most cruel of cages. Don't forget that human beings have a responsibility to one another and that Americans will always have a responsibility to the oppressed. Don't overlook the obvious reasons to disagree with the war but don't cheapen the moral aspects either. Assisting a formerly oppressed population in converting their torn society into a plural, democratic one is dangerous and difficult business, especially when being attacked and sabotaged from literally every direction. So if you have anything to say to me at the end of this reading, let it at least include "Good Luck"

Mark Daily