Letters from Afghanistan

[AdamSmith]

Heartrending. From The Independent...

'Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read ...'

At 19, Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher was one of the youngest victims of the Afghan war. These letters – given to The Independent by his family – reveal the excitement of a teenager sent to fulfil his dream, and his maturity in confronting the possibility that he might not make it home

In the spring of this year, the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles deployed to Afghanistan. Halfway through the battalion's tour, it has lost nine soldiers, with dozens injured.

Of those to have given their lives, four were teenagers. Here Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, who was 19 when he was killed by an explosion near Gereshk seven weeks ago, tells his own story, through letters home and the last letter he left behind to bid farewell to his family – his mother Helena, father Robin and brothers Zac, 21, and Steely, 17.

Following are the words of a proud soldier described by his officers as possessing "a rucksack full of potential", and by his friends as a rascal always cracking jokes and helping to keep morale high. Most of all, they are the words of a young son to his mum, dad and brothers.

27 April 2009

Hello Mum

I've just got your bluey [letter] (the 1st one) yea you are right it does get fucking hot, I can't work out wether I'm tanned or just burnt to fuck!! I've spoke to you on the phone so you no what I've been doing. I'm well proud of you loosing all that weight. Suppose you've got a pretty good insentive. We'v had the same shit maybe a month now. Everyday a Monday out here. You kind of loose track of days. I cant quite work out if its going fast or slow. This pen is shit its doing my head in!!

Iv been thinking of loads of things and places to do, go and see. Me and Elliott are gonna go to Amsterdam after this. THINK WE MAY HAVE DESERVED IT!! It should be a good day (November 5th) [their homecoming parade]. On the 6th we can go Belfast Iv'e got loads of sad things I wanna buy ie Sky+ Big TV. Get the old man to help me rearange my room and help me fix my shelves. Im not the DIY type normally resort to celler tape or blue tack. HA HA HA. Hope everyones safe at home. Complete detox out here – water no drink. So my dance moves might involve a bit of stumbling when I return! Im coming home 2 weeks earlier now so that's kinda good, it might be worth Zac picking me up give me a bit of chill out time so I don't try stab a gobby civvi plus he's a good listener, sumtimes I wonder if he's listening or thinking of sumthing completely irrelivant.

Well pass this round the family so they can all admire my extream spelling (infantry eh!). Lots of love to all the nearest and dearest. Love Ya!! Xxxx

...continued at:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hello-mum-this-is-going-to-be-hard-for-you-to-read-1753008.html

[RA1]

I have said it before and I will say it again, we are doing at least two things wrong in pursuing wars as we have recently. One, if we are going to fight a war, then we need to go on a war time footing. That means the draft, increasing taxes and delaying "normal" business until the war is over which might include rationing and other measures used previously. Two, we need to quit "sacrificing" our youth. If we go on a "real" war footing I will be among the first to volunteer. In fact, I think no one under 50 need apply or be considered for service.

If the above were two primary "rules" for declaring war (and it should be declared or non-existent), I think we might get somewhere limiting or eliminating such. That would be my ferverent hope.

Best regards,

RA1

The letters are indeed heartrending.

[lookin]

Wow, RA1, you're sure putting your money where your mouth is! Although you wouldn't catch me picking up a gun to shoot people, or encouraging anyone else to do so.

It was all I could do to watch an Independent Lens documentary last night titled Hell and Back Again, the story of a 26-year old Marine who was shot up pretty badly in Afghanistan and was trying to adjust to life back in North Carolina. It's current, so only short clips are available on-line, but you may find it still running on PBS.

For me, two things stood out above the rest:

- The Marine described telling the recruiters when he signed up at age 18 that all he wanted to do was "kill people", and he says they were happy to hear it.

- Once home, he fiddles with his handgun throughout the film, and sleeps with it next to him every night, even showing his wife how to use it. In one particularly scary sequence, he places it under his chin, having said a prayer earlier that he wouldn't kill himself.

Can't say whether or not we are sending our troubled youth to war, but they sure seem to be coming home that way. I can't blame them, but I can blame myself for not doing more to help prevent it.

[RA1]

lookin'-

Even though I have a carry permit, I have zero interest in shooting anyone and less than that in having anyone shoot me. But, I am serious about having only older folks go to war. I seriously think that might limit future wars. If old pols might be subject to the draft, they might not be so willing to start or agree to start a war.

We have to start somewhere.

Best regards,

RA1

[JKane]

I have said it before and I will say it again, we are doing at least two things wrong in pursuing wars as we have recently. One, if we are going to fight a war, then we need to go on a war time footing. That means the draft, increasing taxes and delaying "normal" business until the war is over which might include rationing and other measures used previously. Two, we need to quit "sacrificing" our youth. If we go on a "real" war footing I will be among the first to volunteer. In fact, I think no one under 50 need apply or be considered for service.

If the above were two primary "rules" for declaring war (and it should be declared or non-existent), I think we might get somewhere limiting or eliminating such. That would be my ferverent hope.

Best regards,

RA1

The letters are indeed heartrending.

I agree with everything you said wholeheartedly! Now that I'm no longer an automatic 4F I find I'm too old for the present standards, but should something catastrophic happen I like to think I'd be right there with you volunteering. Though I'm guessing there are a great many people who volunteered post 9/11 who ended up in Iraq and were very disillusioned...

I've expressed before how concerned I am that our military is much less of a melting-pot than ever before, not just the young but also those without economic options, leaving the middle and especially "upper" classes free from concern/involvement in a way unprecedented in our country's history.