Sure, there were those who welcomed them, but you can’t afford to discount the ones who didn’t. He’d never been a man who particularly liked the politics of it all. Whether he agreed with a decision or not, at the end of the day, he had a mission to complete. And he had soldiers that he’d do anything to ensure returned to the people they left behind.
“Oh, come on, bro, I saved you the best one. Aren’t you gonna open it? Mine was from a fifth-grade class in Kansas. I’m going to have a flag sent to them before I leave.”
Gabe picked up the white envelope from his desk and turned it over in his hands. It had obviously been forwarded from another source, since it was simply addressed to Dear Soldier. Maybe it was his imagination, but the writing looked neat and feminine. He’d never admit it, but he kind of liked the Charlie Brown stickers on it. He glanced up at his buddy Jason, aka Captain Jason Keller, and shrugged. “You should give this to one of the younger guys who don’t have anyone at home.” There were a lot of support groups back in the States that sent food and toiletries on a regular basis. But something as seemingly antiquated as snail mail was a big deal here. Having a handwritten message was worth more than most people could possibly guess. And he tried to make sure all of his soldiers were covered in that area.
“Got more than they can open in a week,” Jason assured him. “You know the mail has been backed up for a while, so there was a shitload that came in today.” Jason pointed to the one Gabe still held in his hand, “Take one for yourself just this once. It’s probably from a school like mine. I’ll have another flag flown for you to send out to them.”
“Yeah, sure.” Gabe nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue. He put the envelope down and pushed back from his desk. “Time to feed the troops.” Every so often, the senior commissioned and noncommissioned officers served lunch to the troops. It was a way to interact in a more relaxed manner, as well as show appreciation for their hard work. Should they run low on food, he’d eat one of the stale candy bars he kept in his desk for the days he was too busy to go to the chow hall.
The troops were in good spirits as they enjoyed not only a good meal but some much-needed time off. Gabe had been through enough deployments to detect the underlying current of melancholy that hung over the noisy room, but most appeared to be pushing it aside as they joked around with their fellow soldiers.
By the time everyone was served and he’d made the minimum amount of small talk, he was ready to unwind before he caught a few hours’ sleep. But the assholes who decided to shoot grenades over the fence had other ideas. Gabe had long ago become desensitized to the sounds of explosions. And most would never be more than an annoyance, but it still required investigation and, at times, retaliation. Thus, another day had passed before he noticed the unopened envelope pushed to the side of his desk. Again, he almost ignored it, but he needed a break. Something that lets me pretend I’m anywhere but here, if even for a moment. Let’s see what you’ve got, kid.
And that’s what he expected when he opened the card and unfolded the paper tucked inside. To see a child’s handwriting. Possibly a picture drawn at the bottom. Instead, he found himself reading a letter that had him not only smiling but laughing by the end. Considering he hadn’t done it often lately, it sounded rusty even to his own ears.
Dear Soldier:
Greetings from North Carolina. I hope this finds you well and having a much better day than I’ve had. So I made the unfortunate mistake of attending a family reunion earlier. I know, I know. I can only blame it on a severe lapse in judgment. Let me stop there and fill you in on a bit of my backstory so that you can fully appreciate what transpired.
I am a thirty-five-year-old woman, and I work as a nanny for my brother’s family. I have a college degree in business administration, and I was employed in that field for several years. Then my niece Kaylee was born. She has asthma and constantly