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Soldiers' letters home capture war's untold stories

Aug-29-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

A letter home from a soldier with the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment attached to Task Force Olympia.

[Link to Full Article]
By MEG JONES

For centuries, soldiers have written home from war zones. They have shared their thoughts, fears and hopes, their pride in their work and their longing for loved ones, a soft bed and food that's not served in a mess hall.

Today, instant messaging and satellite phones bring the intimacy and immediacy of conversation across thousands of miles to American troops in Iraq and Kuwait. But it is their letters and e-mails that create a lasting record of the soldier's everyday life.

Six members of the Wisconsin National Guard agreed to share some of their letters with readers of the Journal Sentinel. They tell first-person stories that usually don't make the evening news or the daily papers but are history nonetheless: repairing roads and bridges, working in a palace, coping with the intense heat, trying to save the life of a wounded soldier.

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'I consider myself very lucky'

Spec. Gretel Sharpee, 21, of Madison carries an M-16 in Iraq, but her equipment also includes a pen, notebook and camera. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior is stationed in Mosul with the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, one of six people from the Madison-based detachment serving in Iraq since February.

Her duties include embedding with military units to write stories and take photos of their missions that are published in magazines for soldiers and their families, as well as covering ribbon-cutting and school opening ceremonies.

She sends monthly letters to family and friends and figures there are more than 90 people on her e-mail list. Hearing from their daughter is a great comfort to Rolf and Barbara Sharpee, who live in Madison.

"It really puts your mind at ease," said Barbara Sharpee. "There are times when it's not quite so positive, but she's very upbeat about it all the time and grateful to have the experience."

Follow the link to read one of her letters home.


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