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Title: Emotional Goodbye For Afghanistan-Bound Marines (listen if you dare)
Source:
NPR
URL Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104267469
Published: May 18, 2009
Author: Catherine Welch
Post Date: 2009-05-18 19:10:22 by Deasy
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Keywords: Israel, Mideast, Obama, Security
Views: 2685
Comments: 83
Listen Now [5 min 33 sec] add to playlist Marines prepare for deployment as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, the first major deployment of U.S. Marines into southern Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. Josh Apsey, 18, waves and blows kisses to his family after boarding a bus for the first leg of his trip to Afghanistan on Saturday. All Things Considered, May 18, 2009 · The Marines known as "America's Battalion" are heading to Afghanistan. They are part of the 21,000 additional forces President Obama is deploying in the administration's new strategy for the war effort in Afghanistan. The mission of these Marines will take them to places American forces have rarely been in large numbers. Over the months of their deployment, NPR will focus on the people — the Marines and their families — who will carry the fight in Afghanistan and the burden of keeping life together at home. The Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment have been working hard, preparing for war in Afghanistan. But over the weekend at their home base at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune, it was all about meeting with family and friends, and saying goodbye. At first glance it looked like a large Sunday picnic. A rectangular lawn at the base was filled with hundreds of people. In one spot, a family sat in beach chairs talking; nearby, a young couple stood forehead-to-forehead holding each other tightly. Tom and Vicki Apsey, with their daughter, drove through the night — 11 hours from Tampa, Fla. — to be with their son, 18-year-old Lance Cpl. Josh Apsey. A Bible And Pictures From Home Tom Apsey said his son had talked about being a Marine since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but the family thought their then-10-year-old would outgrow the idea. "But he continually talked about it, and he started working toward it. It was a goal of his, and he's exactly where he wanted to be. So, as a father, I definitely couldn't be any prouder of him," he said. With about a year of Marine training under his belt, Josh Apsey said he is ready to go. "My mom, she got me a journal and inserted a few pictures in there, and she's written me a few letters; and I have pictures of my girlfriend and letters from her, as well; and I have a Bible that I keep that all in right now," he said. Josh said his Bible is his most important keepsake for this first mission overseas. In the past few days, mother and son read through the Bible together, going over passages from Proverbs and Psalms. "One of my favorites, Psalm 21: 'Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord,' " she said. The battalion chaplain, Lt. Terry Roberts, said it is his job to remind the men of their spiritual side, which is often neglected in the heat of battle. Roberts, a Baptist preacher from the hills of Kentucky, spoke from experience. This is his fifth deployment. A Line Of Buses And The Difficult Goodbye The banter between Marines and their family members subsided as the empty buses pulled up to ferry the Marines to the airport. The Marines won't be in touch with their families again until they reach Afghanistan — and then, communication by telephone and e-mail will be difficult. "You know they have come out with a new machine. It's a one-button, text-messaging machine," Roberts quipped, pulling a pen out of his pocket to make the point that the men must learn to write letters. The Marines piled the gear onto the back of a tractor-trailer. Then, they lined up and boarded the buses as loved ones clapped and cried. Before the caravan had rounded the corner and was out of sight, the families had shuffled off to their cars. At the end of the day, a handful of Marines combed the empty lawn, picking up trash and preparing the same patch for the next crowd of families, who will gather outside the headquarters of America's Battalion to say goodbye. Emotional Goodbye For Afghanistan-Bound Marines
See Photos Of Marines Saying Goodbye To Family Members
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 39.
#2. To: Deasy (#0)
stupid kid. wonder how long it will take him being there to get a clue.
Not stupid Christine. By no means. Immature, unsophisticated indeed, stupid no. I met a lot of other "kids", never a stupid one. A lot of different circumstances brought us together, we each had our own reason. We all became men over night. Consider this, without these kids volunteering for whatever reason, we would have a draft now rather than later.
Cyni, i don't see today's enlistees in any way like those who were drafted in past wars. this boy had a choice. he has not done his due dilligence as far as research. there is access to much history, especially Viet Nam from which he could have learned. if not himself, then his parents could have. they have done him a great injustice by encouraging and supporting his decision.
I have a neighbor that has a son in Iraq on his second tour. This young man is far from "stupid". Being from a family of modest means, he made the mistake of taking government help to finance medical school. He is on duty 24/7 as a surgeon, amputating the limbs of young kids and old men, day after day, telling them all the same lies, as to how they will be "fine", the government and the military will take care of them, etc etc. Once again, I would never, ever, attempt to judge how any youngster got there, I did not walk in their shoes, I did walk in mine, as a volunteer and people were only too happy to see the "stupid" kids of the lower class be gone. And then the military decided there were not enough stupid volunteers and out went the dragnet. The weeping and wailing by the parents was endless, surely their prized children should be exempt? A few days ago an Army Sgt. was killed in the ME at age 60. He had learned nothing but again he was not stupid. He had 40 years to learn.
i'm betting that today, you'd not volunteer. circumstances are much different now than they were when you did. it was before Viet Nam and before the phony War on Terror. another bet, he and his parents voted for more war.
Correct. However that is now a consideration in hindsight. Just as now, back two generations ago, I and others had to make our decisions on what was before us and calculate our chances of survival. Whether the war was just or unjust was never a consideration, We wanted to survive, if possible. War is and has always been a social class affair. When you are at the bottom of the social ladder, you are always expendable, you are the one that will bleed and die. Even the military will show you the statistics that over 90 per cent of the "volunteers" are from the lower class, blacks being a barometer. There are varying reasons why people volunteer, the overwhelming reason being to escape poverty, joblessness, etc etc. Does anyone honestly believe they enlist to bleed and die??????? That would be absurd. I found myself with an older "kid", college prep, Ivy league, money, he had it all. I could be labeled stupid but certainly not him. Perhaps you know of Charles Bohlen, he was of that family. Why was he there???? I never knew.
During WWII, many, many American men believed they had to fight and die to preserve America's sovereignty, its borders, and their families. And now look at us.
How ironic that both the boys of WWII and today's kids had/have as a CIC a socialist.
There are no replies to Comment # 39. End Trace Mode for Comment # 39.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestTom Apsey said his son had talked about being a Marine since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but the family thought their then-10-year-old would outgrow the idea.
#6. To: christine (#2)
stupid kid. wonder how long it will take him being there to get a clue.
#15. To: Cynicom (#6)
#21. To: christine (#15)
Cyni, i don't see today's enlistees in any way like those who were drafted in past wars.
#28. To: Cynicom (#21)
#33. To: christine, tom007 (#28)
i'm betting that today, you'd not volunteer.
#34. To: Cynicom (#33)
Does anyone honestly believe they enlist to bleed and die?
#39. To: Deasy (#34)
(Edited)
During WWII, many, many American men believed they had to fight and die to preserve America's sovereignty, its borders, and their families. And now look at us.
Replies to Comment # 39.