"Letters from Home"

"Letters from Home"
By John Michael Montgomery

My Dear Son, it is almost June,
I hope this letter catches up to you, and finds you well.
Its been dry but they're calling for rain,
And everything's the same ol' same in Johnsonville.
Your stubborn 'ol Daddy ain't said too much,
But I'm sure you know he sends his love,
And she goes on,In a letter from home.

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy, and they all laugh,
Like there's something funny bout' the way I talk,
When I say: "Mama sends her best y'all."
I fold it up an' put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an' get back to work.
An' it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home.

My Dearest Love, its almost dawn.
I've been lying here all night long wondering where you might be.
I saw your Mama and I showed her the ring.
Man on the television said something so I couldn't sleep.
But I'll be all right, I'm just missing you.
An' this is me kissing you:
XX's and OO's,
In a letter from home.

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy, and they all laugh,
'Cause she calls me "Honey", but they take it hard,
'Cause I don't read the good parts.
I fold it up an' put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an' get back to work.
An' it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home.

Dear Son, I know I ain't written,
But sittin' here tonight, alone in the kitchen, it occurs to me,
I might not have said, so I'll say it now:
Son, you make me proud.

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain't scared and our boots ain't muddy, but no one laughs,
'Cause there ain't nothing funny when a soldier cries.
An' I just wipe me eyes.
I fold it up an' put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an' get back to work.
An' it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home.

I guess it makes sense why this song makes me want to cry. I have been to so many going away and welcome home parties. When they go away you never really imagine that they won't come back, you give them a big hug, and tell them to be safe. Then all you can do is pray they come back.

My friend Megan's husband left right after they got married. He has done at least two tours in Iraq. I remember she said that she was so depressed the entire time he was gone she couldn't do anything. She wouldn't here from him for days...she would just cry. Once his Lieutenant called her because her husband was having a hard time getting through to her on the phone. When the man said who he was, she fell to the ground, expecting to hear the worse.

I remember back back in the day, Cristin's cousin used to send me love letters from boot camp. I think I might still have them somewhere...

I just don't know what I would do if Bobby went to war...
My brother tried to join the air force when I was in 9th or 10th grade...
My dad wanted to be in the military...
My uncle killed himself after coming back from war...

I remember being on base one day after a boy came back from war. He had died and the funeral procession started from the base after his body arrived via plane. As the base was covered with men in uniforms saluting the hearse, I cried.

It's sad, and I know that why we do it, and I know why they do it. I just know that I pray for everyone who is over there protecting us and our country, giving their lives for our country.