Inspirational Words, From Which We Draw Strength


"They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."
Ode of Rememberance, Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen"

"Wrapped in the Stripes"
Wrapped in the stripes of the flag
Rolling onward
Into infinity - the Great Beyond
The silver chord chasing
Becoming earth bound in red and white
The honor and the blood
Flowing ever thus from one increment of time
To the next nonexistent increment.
Cherriney B.W. Kondor

December 10, 2004

SSG. Sean ________
HHC 3rd BDE
O.I.F. F.O.B. Warhorse
Iraq

Dear Sergeant ________,
I’m sending this note to give you a heads up about some goods being sent your way. The items were collected for the members of your unit by the crew of New Jersey Transit Train #6604. There are a bunch of us who take the same train to New York every day and who normally ride in the same car. Our conductor, Gene Ruocchio and engineer, Bill Guimes decided it would be a nice gesture to put a package of (hopefully) useful items together as a show of appreciation for all you and your fellow soldiers do for us all year long. Gene and Bill deserve the credit for organizing this effort. As one of the regular commuters on this train I was more than willing when the train crew asked us if we’d pitch in.

When Gene and Bill were unsure of where or who to send this package to, I suggested your unit. I have been a friend of the parents of Martin Kondor for many, many years and sadly attended his services here in the states last spring. When I called Martin’s mother Cher to get the mailing information for your unit she suggested you would be the best man to distribute the items to those in your unit. Cher was absolutely delighted with what the train crew is doing and wishes you all the best.

It is this train that takes me from my home near Morristown, NJ to work in New York City every day. It was this train that took me to New York on September 11, 2001. I still remember looking out the train window and seeing the twin towers on the horizon as the train ducked into the tunnels under the Hudson River on the final leg of our trip to Penn Station that day. That was the last time I would see those buildings.

I work as an engineer at the ABC Television Network maintaining the cameras, sound gear and other technical equipment in two of our studios. As was the case with most of the New York television and FM radio stations, ABC operated transmitters in the north tower of the World Trade Center. One of my colleagues, Don DiFranco, was on duty in the tower along with engineers from the other area stations when the attack occurred. With the transmitters in the upper floors of the tower, the plane impacted below where the engineers were working and they were unable to descend through the smoke and flames. They eventually made their way to the roof, hoping for a helicopter rescue. Initially the smoke and dust was too thick and the helicopters could not move in. As the smoke began to clear, a rescue helicopter had just begun to attempt an approach when the building collapsed. None of the engineers survived.

I say this so that you will know that I have good reason to be grateful for what you all are doing for us. I appreciate the risks you are taking and the personal sacrifices you are making by being away from your families for such a long period of time. I am grateful for this opportunity to show some support. I know this package doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things, but its important that you know that the folks back home do think about you, not just during the holidays, but always.

What you are doing is terribly important. Eliminating Saddam and freeing the Iraqi people is important enough as it is, but I’m someone who always tries to look at the bigger picture. When you succeed in helping Iraq become a free and democratic society, when Iraq becomes economically stable, when Iraq begins interacting with the rest of the world for trade, then something that is both remarkable and historic will have taken place. I believe this will be a turning point not just in the history of Iraq, but in the history of the entire world. It will be a 21st century version of the domino theory as other nations in the region will see Iraq prosper and will choose – on their own – to follow suit. And that will make the whole world a much safer place.

Well, enough of me on my soapbox. What’s important is that you know that what you are doing is appreciated and know that you are in our thoughts and in our prayers. We’re enclosing a few group photos of most the folks who participated in this project. The photo was taken at the end of our morning commute on Thursday, December 9th on the platform at Penn Station, New York City.

This morning the passengers brought in their donations, we boxed everything up and dropped it all off at the main New York City Post Office. A total of eleven boxes were sent your way. Let us know when the shipment arrives so we can better judge when to send the next shipment. Also, don’t hesitate to let us know if anyone has any special requests or if there are any items you’d prefer not to receive.

May God watch over you all, keep you safe and return you to your families as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Dan Rapak

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
-GK Chesterton