Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Nation & World

A Fallen Soldier's E-mails to Home

Posted 5/11/07
Page 5 of 6

Your son,

Skipper

####

From: Darrell Griffin, Jr.

Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 10:14 PM

To: Darrell (DAD) Griffin

Subject: Hey Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad,

How are you all doing? I received your package with the camera and was so happy. Everything was intact and not damaged. I like the book "Servants of Nature" that you sent and can't wait to read it. Well, my Stryker is out of commission because we finally got hit by a large roadside bomb 2 days ago. It was a gas-bomb that develops a fireball around the entire vehicle when detonated. All of our tires were blown out and all the tie rods were destroyed. Not one of my squad members was hurt. The next day, as we were convoying down a road our other 2nd squad vehicle was hit by the same gas-bomb on the same road that mine was struck. This town is still out of control and I don't know if our many offensives into the El-Sari neighborhood did any good. There are certain people that we are working with to root out pockets of insurgent resistance but their intelligence doesn't seem any better than ours. Almost daily, our Strykers are being hit by powerful IED's. We are even starting something similar to a football pool as to who will get hit on any given day. A [non-commissioned officer] from a Cavalry unit here was killed the other day by one of these IEDs. Well, I must go for now but I will try to e-mail you guys more than I have been. I love you guys so much and just knowing that I have you guys as my parents keeps me going through these scary days.

Skipper

####

From: Darrell Griffin, Jr.

To: Darrell (DAD) Griffin

Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 8:50 PM

Subject: Hey Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad,

I was wondering if you could come up on the day that I fly in from Iraq. I would love to see the ones I love the most all at once. As soon as I get the date I will send it to you guys with at least 1 month advance notice. You could fly up the day prior to me coming home and then drive with Diana to the airport to pick me up. That would be so cool. Well, I must close for now. I have some more pictures that I will send later today of another close call that I had 2 days ago. This makes the 4th one so far.

Your faithful son,

Skipper

####

From: Darrell Griffin, Sr.

Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 12:02 PM

To: Darrell Griffin, Jr.

Subject: RE: Hey Mom and Dad

Son we pray for you every day of our lives. Right now I would love nothing more than you to be something safe like a police officer. As crazy as that sounds being a police officer would be safer than a soldier. This is a selfish thought on my part.

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