Remembering a soldier I never knew.

I am writing in response to the email that I received about those that have ordered the bracelets through your company.  I would like to share my answer to that question.  You also have my permission to reprint, use, or share it with any organization, person, or affiliation that is interested.  I appreciate your efforts to recognize those individuals killed in the line of duty and hope that this letter finds your company and yourself well.

Why do I wear a bracelet, a simple circle with a name I have never met, a town I have never been to, and a date to which I can only tell you a soldier died on a battlefield?  I received your hero bracelet after I returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF II) in March of 2005.  I never really thought about why I wore it but I can tell you that I still wear the same bracelet that I received from your organization.  I wear it because I never knew PVT Matthew D. Bush, but I sweat, bleed, and think about home like PVT Matthew D. Bush.  I miss the taste of freedom while I eat the same meals as him.  I do not know what he would think of this war, nearly four years later.  Would he be proud to say that he was there at the beginning and tried his best to make this place better?  Or would he quietly walk down your street and never mention those months he spent here.  I wear it because in wearing it I honor his commitment, courage, and sacrifice in a place that sometimes does not remember it.  I wear it because if the same fate should happen to me, I would hope someone would remember my name.  I wear it because as Winston Churchill said "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

His life for our freedom, rest in peace Matthew D. Bush.

Sincerely,

Jackie K. Kaina

MAJ, FA

Team Elite (MiTT 0410)

FOB SPEICHER

APO AE 09