Page 83 - chs-2005

through patriotic letters

Above: Fre hman Dallas Garri on won fir t place in the ninth and Above: ophomore Erica Bale won econd place for the ninth and
tenth grade divi ion for the American Legion Auxiliary E ay tenth grade divi ion for The American Legion Auxiliary ay onte t.
Conte t.

Dear oldier,

No matter who you are, where you are, or what you are doing, I upport you. Every e ening when the daylight
uccumbs to the darkne , look up to the moon, a I will look up to the moon, and maybe you' 11 fl el clo er to
home,ju t maybe. Your loneline i heart felt, your courage i the honor of our nation, and we're all proud of you
for what you are doing. Year from now, your on or grand on will open a hi tory book, and hi teacher \viii
de cribe to him the greatne of all the men and women who fought for our freedom, and you\\ ill be among them,
imbedded in the oul and oil of our nation alike. Becau e of you, future generation of children will be able to
enjoy freedom without having to worry about terrori t or tyrant . The; v ill be able to exp rience a world without
religiou and cultural egregation, without racial or ocial inju tice. Today, we are beginning to ee a little light
through the darkne becau e of you and other like you. Becau e of people like you there i hope, there i a
chance, even if it an unlikely chance, that maybe one day (for example) Mu lim and Chri tian may live peacefully
with each other, in tead of oppo ite of each other. ven if the tv.o don't alway agree, maybe th y'll be able to find
a common ground. Becau e of the sacrifice of you and other oldier , kid growing up in the world oftomorrow
may grow up in a world that i n 't divided by difference in gov mment agenda, but by th imaginary line on a
globe or a map, and that' all. God created diver ity, if he wanted u to all be alike h would have made u that
way, and because of your effort , hopefully, omeday we '11 all be able to embrace that. You rna; be thinking," Thi
kid mu t be crazy ifhe think I'm accompli hing all that he ay I am," but really I'm not. Do you think the oldier
during The American Revolution had even the lighte ·t idea of what their acrifice would eventually become? I bet
those men went to war thinking of only defending their country and fighting for their cau e, and that' what th ) did
and that' what your doing. It' not the Rockefeller or the J.P. Morgan that made thi country great, it' the little
namele people I ike you who were willing to give everything for the ak of th ir country. It i not wealth or power
that America derive it greatne from, it' the heart of it people. The facti that we will tand and fight fon\hat'
right, no matter how bleak the ituation may eem. The fact that peopl like you who are willing to acrifice
everything for the benefit of the one you lo e and the one like me that you don't even know, fl r protecting
country, my freedom, and me 1 thank you.

Dalla Garri on.

79