a phone call from Iraq

[koopie57]

Over the last couple of months my daughter has more frequently mentioned the soldier she has been talking to in Iraq via internet chat. Lately they have been talking more and he has started calling her several times a week. I was not sure what to think but she showed me his picture and told me about his family. I guess his mom is a bush supporter, evangelical, etc. They live in El Paso and I believe she is Mexican. My daughter said he is half Mexican and then half a bunch of others like Norwegian, German, etc.

Anyway today he called her while she was at home and towards the end of the conversation he wanted to say hi to me. I paniced and said no and she said he wanted to say hi. I said hi and could hear others in the background laughing, talking smart. His voice sounded so nice and he said to me, "You have a very special daughter. She is the only one who can keep my spirits up while I'm here. It is not nice here and she makes me laugh." I just babbled something incoherent and handed the phone back to my daughter.

I don't know why I wrote this, just needed to tell someone.

I guess it all just hit me, how real this war is. I block out things that I can't handle. Like when the World Trade Center went down, I kept wondering how come no one was in those buildings. It took me a long time for it to sink in that there were people in there. Is there something wrong with me or do others do things like this? It seems like I must have a screw loose. And to be honest, I never thought of people bleeding or that it hurts when they get shot or the homesickness, but now I'm starting to panic and the urgency I feel to get these guys home is almost unbearable. I can only explain it that I realize they have blood now.

[AussieDave]

1. You definitely do NOT have a screw loose

the war is off in a faraway place, and no-one you knew or loved personally was involved, so there's no reason to think about it.

The phone call just brought it home, just like it does to those who never really thought about it until something catastrophic happens, and it makes the whole thing real.

[SeattleGirl]

2. I agree with AussieDave

Talking to that young man (even if only briefly), made the war more "real" to you. That happened to me 6 months into it when a friend's son was sent over to Iraq. Every time a Guardsman from this area was said to have been hurt or killed, my heart was in my throat. This young many is home now, in one piece, but it definitely made it more real.

[XemaSab]

3. There's nothing wrong with you

You have a lot of empathy, even for strangers, and it hurts to think that even people you don't know are getting hurt. :(

[koopie57]

4. I never thought about it like that

but what you folks say makes sense. Thank you.