July 08, 2003
Dear John Letters
Hello All, Before I go into today’s little tirade, and it should be a good one, I’d like to begin with a few announcements. First, we have water again! It seems that a naval officer was on a 3-day pass when we ran out, but arrived just in time. We were hours away from falling behind schedule when he swooped in and proceeded to chew on marines. Apparently he is in charge of the entire show, and he knows just who’s butt to chomp. Second, the hot weather has arrived! Yesterday was 122, and today we hit 115 by 1000 (10:00 am for you lucky, and chillin' civilians). Last, but far from least, is the arrival of two new boys. Spc. Dan and Spc. Derrick are new fathers to bouncing baby boys. Both men are VERY proud, and we are all hoping to get them home to see their kids soon. So much for the good news, lets get into today’s topic: Dear John letters. For the uninitiated, a Dear John letter is where a couple breaks up while one half is off serving their country. I know you’re wondering if I was the unlucky recipient, and no it wasn’t me this time (I have twice been lucky enough to get this award, but that is another story). Well then, who is this week’s unlucky winner? Spc. J. Yep, the poor guy that sat down on and was violated by a nail. This really hasn’t been a good war for him! Oh, and if Erica reads this (that’s the harlot I am referring to) if you respond, I will give everyone in the world your email address and let you explain your side of the story one person at a time, you slut. I am not going to get into the whole, “He said, she said,” thing here (that will have to wait for the book). No, I want to talk about the proper way to break up with someone on the opposite side of the planet. It’s really simple - You Don’t. You don’t break up with someone on the other side of the planet, in anther country or confined by military regulations in another state. If you have decided to date/love/leave a service member that is not in your immediate vicinity, don’t tell them. At least not until they get home. You must maintain the lie to preserve their sanity/feelings/emotional health, because if you don’t they will suffer like young J is doing right now. He’s in a place where he cannot confront this like a man, tell Erica she’s a bitch, get drunk and sleep with random women. No wait, that’s only part of it. The important thing is to see her and go through all that closure stuff so he can move on. He’s stuck here to fester/stew/suffer in an agony that won’ t go away. Have you ever had an itch you can’t scratch? Think of an itch that is painful and you can’t reach and won’t go away that just keeps getting worse and worse and worse until you think that you’re going to lose your mind because you cannot think of anything else and go insane if you don ’t do SOMETHING, ANYTHING just to make it go away. How do I know about this? I’ve already been through it. However, that is something else entirely (another thing for the book) and let me talk about what Erica should have done, if she had a shred of decency. She should have bought hallmark cards and copied them into her emails to convince Spc. J that she wasn’t a whore. She should have read from romance novels to tell him that she still loved him, and wasn’t a lying slut. She should have remembered her promise to Spc. J before he left. Didn’t I tell you about the promise? Well, Spc. J asked her is she could handle his little adventure into the desert, and told her that if she couldn ’t, she could walk away and maybe they could try again when he returned. And it turns out that she didn’t even wait for J to leave the country, she was running around on him when were at Ft. McCoy. Now I may be wrong about all this. Erica might be the victim here. A lost and lonely woman trying to find her own path in this crazy world, mixed up and looking for someone to hold onto in the darkness of life in the Midwest. Then again, she might just be a filthy little liar that slept with Spc. J’s roommate. Oh, didn’t I mention that she slept with his ‘friend?’ Well, I think you know how I feel about that one. In the meantime, J is content just hating her from a distance. I really feel bad for the kid, but there isn’t too much we can do for him. Normally, I’d have taken him to a bar and gotten him drunk by now, but we’re in a Muslim country where alcohol is forbidden. And since there is a shortage of single women around here, he won’t be doing the other thing to get over a broken heart. He is doing better, though. He isn’t moping around anymore, and has even smiled a couple times today. He’s going to be all right, but he just needs some time to get used to the idea. I love you all, Will 05:51 PM
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Hey Will! Good to hear from you...please send my best to J, Erica is obviously not worthy of him and belongs with the trash she is keeping....there is much better out there for a brave, fighting, Unites States soldier!!! He will have them crawling at his feet when he gets home...before he knows it, he'll be saying 'Erica who?'!!!!! Please come home safe and sound soon, so we can crawl all over your feet too!! :-) Much love and respect.... Hey Will, I have to agree with Kathy here. I am too a former Navy wife whose spouse ran around on her. Looking back it's been a true blessing for me though. (see happy/content life) though he still does not get why he is unhappy going from one trash to another. Ah, this topic makes me mad (see People Suck). There's no excuse. Thanks for venting for the rest of us, Will. Posted by: JrzyGyrl on July 8, 2003 08:28 PMHi Will... If you would please relay these poems I wrote to J. I may never have had the deal of dating someone in the military, but I know what it's like to be lied to, heartbroken, and made to feel a fool. IT ALL GOES AROUND Alone in the world of shattered dreams, Then a simple act of good or love HEADGAMES Headgames - Headgames - Headgames - Headgames - Headgames - Headgames - Headgames - Headgames TEARS I come I come I come I come
Hell...least she could have done if she wanted to sleep with his friend, is to wait til he got home and suggest they have a threesome (See kinky, but you never know!)for cripes sake! Seriously though...Dear John lettes suck and are the absolute wrong thing to do for all the reasons you said. I agree with you and I don't even have experience with military romance! May Ms Cheating Erica get a permanent yeast infection!!! I'd like to enclose a poem or two I wrote about the USA if you can bear with me, please, for those who have not visited my website @ http//myhomeismyheart.homestead.com/Welcome.html
You may hurt our hearts Our Lady Liberty’s torch You won’t be smiling when our fighters America awoke just like any other day, Our Lady Liberty’s torch As we watched on the news OUR AMERICAN NATION Our nation is not perfect Many men have perished These colors do not run, American Pride is faithful Hand in hand, arm in arm, The majority of people So kill our loved ones, strike our land God Bless America...
Judi Posted by: Judi on July 8, 2003 08:47 PMSo sorry to hear of J's misfortune. I have struggled with the dear john letter... as my b/friend was deploying in January (day before my bday), I found out that he is not actually divorced. But, I did not feel bailing out while he is away was the right thing to do, so i still email, send snail mail and packages as often as I can. I will see if things get resolved, which I know can not while he is out in the sandbox, I will make that decision when the timing is better. Posted by: Alice on July 8, 2003 09:08 PMWhat a completely crappy thing to do to a guy. ((((J)))). I would love to see a response from her. Great article, as always. Hi Will, What that horrible, scummy woman did to Spc J was inexcusable. Especially when he's in such a tough, miserable place thousands of miles from home. He and the rest of you guys are in our thoughts and prayers. When I was active duty Navy, I was good friends with a guy who was stationed on a ship, and went on a 6-month cruise. He came back to find his wife 3 months pregnant. He actually forgave her, and said he'd raise the kid like it was his own, but she up and left anyway. Spc J will need his friends at a time like this. I'm sure there are many, many ladies that would stand in line to go out with him when he comes back home. That horrible, scummy woman will be forgotten. Congratulations to the new fathers. You guys stay cool. Judi, thanks for the poems. They are wonderful. You guys hang in there, and stay safe. Many people have all of you in their thoughts and prayers. I feel REALLY bad for the guy! I feel awful that he had to experience this while on the other side of the world. He is definitely too good for her. Tell him that things will get better, and not to worry though , what she did will come back to haunt her eventually. They always do. Posted by: Susan on July 8, 2003 11:00 PMI feel bad for J. It's a good thing you guys are there for him and help him cheer up. I've never dated someone in the military but I wouldnt of sent him a letter like that. Thats what people do when they cant go face to face and tell someone its over. I'm sure the slut will get whats coming to her one day. I'm also sure someone whos worthy of him will come around someday. Come home safe soon. Jennifer Posted by: Jennifer on July 8, 2003 11:17 PMWill, Spc. J is very fortunate to have someone like you to turn to in his time of need. Your love and compassion for your troops will give them the strength and courage to cope until they return home to their families. Please let him know that we are all behind him and praying that he will be able to reach out to you and his friends in the troop to help him through this difficult time. God be with you all. Jo Posted by: Jo on July 9, 2003 01:19 AMTell J we are all pulling for him and for all of you out there! You have to share your story too one of these days... I can't believe a girl was crazy enough to break up with you, we all know you are the perfect guy! ;) Stay safe & God bless! Posted by: Stacy on July 9, 2003 07:32 AMOh dear Will, if it weren't for you, I'm sure Spc. J would've had it much harder. You're a great guy and a good friend. I myself have encountered ex's and I know I've mumbled "sluttttttt" under my breath one too many times. *adjusts halo* I'm glad to hear life is generally ok over there, hurry home! Emarie Posted by: Emarie on July 9, 2003 08:33 AMFirst, many congratulations to the new dads! I'm sure we're all pulling for them to get home soon and spend some time with their new babies! It sounds like someone should send you a pool in one of your packages! Too bad they can't send a blender, crushed ice and beverages... As a former victim of Dear John letter, my sympathy to your SPC J. However, at least he will not be wasting valuable time and emotion on Ms. Erica when he returns. I have known several other soldiers (male and female) who have returned home from a deployment only to have the rug pulled from beneath them when their Beloved is passing out their love to others. Encourage the guy to rant and rave and realize he deserves better. Hope you get a return date locked in soon. Good to hear from you! It's nice to know that you are doing ok. I hope that all of you will return us very soon! J can certainly find better than the so called slut. Kicking yourself only makes it harder. Congrats to the new dads and their families back home. Stay in the shade Will... Posted by: Mary on July 9, 2003 12:51 PMTOO FUNNY! No, not what happened to Spc. J but the support shown here for a guy we only know as the "guy who got nailed". Shell Posted by: Shell on July 9, 2003 02:55 PMhi will, hope to here from you soon. p.s the heat will for sure not be of one of my complaints Posted by: carolyn on July 9, 2003 04:25 PMNow you know why so professional soldiers are, indeed, married to the military. It's really the only solid, sure thing in their lives. Now you know why some people are 'distant' when they leave the military. The only thing they can trust for certain is the insanity of the command structure in the military.They don't know if there loved ones will be faithful or even alive when they get back. I wish him luck and I hope he gets back at her in the most effective ways possible. See if he can rip her heart out like she did his! A few suggestions can be had in books written by George Hayduke( see REVENGE)Good luck and De Opreeso Liber Posted by: CaptainScarecrow on July 9, 2003 07:01 PMHey Will Sounds like you've been a good friend to J - he will need that more than anything right now. I agree with all of the above and would like to add that people like Erica sadly seem to be in a forever pursuit of happiness without regard to others but wind up coming up empty handed every time! She obviously never took the time to do the hard stuff in life (character building), learned the painful lessons (somehow remember those better than when somebody tells you 'something for your own good') and made choices while keeping in mind the feelings of others. How very sad for her (no sympathy though - she CHOSE that path)- she has chosen a shallow version of life and will find happiness always just out of reach. The beauty of life is that if you have decent morals and follow them, see and appreciate the continuous wonders of life in spite of the ugly parts and treat others as you want to be treated (as corny as that sounds), life reciprocates all of that back to you (though you have to handle the details!). It is just that simple. Guess this is a long-winded version of "what goes around, comes around" and "life gives back what you put into it." J is going through a dark time right now, but will be a stronger, better man for it (easy for me to say, I know, but have been there in one form or another) and will be able to spot 'false' people a little easier next time, instead surrounding himself with true friends and lover(s). Posted by: LV on July 10, 2003 10:05 AMhmmmm! Hang in there my soldier friend and watch your words Gods Guardian Angels are watching over you. So, are you single? yes:) no:( God's Guardian Angels must be tired too as we all pray that God's sends them to watch over all A. Posted by: A. on July 10, 2003 10:58 AMWhat a hag. Posted by: Catherine on July 10, 2003 11:01 AMWell the only thing I can say to {{ J }} is a woman like that is not worth the time of day. It's better to know what kind of person she is now, than waste any more time on her. Their are lots of NICE girls out their. So just keep your heads down and get home soon! Hey at least you guys get to play with water and cool off a little. I feel sorry for the guys that have to sit in it all day also. You have a little advantage if you think about it. I'm sure some time you get wet by accident. (See water hose spray the wrong way) not to worry j, there are tons of cool single women out there!!!! Okay, so you have a bunch of chicks e-mailing you... I'll make it short. My fiance is currently in Iraq with the 3rd ID, on a rooftop in Baghdad the last time I spoke with him. Thankfully, the word is they're all coming home within the next two months... I'd like to get married before I go into a nursing home. Your guys are in my thoughts and prayers... your turn to be home will come soon. I just wanted to say thanks for these writings... No news is good news in the Army as I'm learning (as tough as the lesson may be), but reading your messages--I only discovered them this evening and have read them all...does that make me a geek?--has made me feel closer to Chris. You guys are truly heroes... anyone who disputes that can kiss my ass (okay, so normally I wouldn't have said ass, but you said worse in yours..sheesh!). Anyway, I said this would be short and it's already longer than short... I'll end this by saying God bless and take care. Looking forward to reading more. Becca P.S. To make a long short message longer: Hey Will, I always look so forward to reading your letters, but this one especially hit home with me. I met the man of my dreams back in Jan. and he deployed on April 6. I wrote him every day for 10 weeks faithfully and then on June 16, I got the "Dear Kris" letter. He was going back to his old girlfriend because they had children together. I totally respect him for wanting to do the right thing, but I know what you're saying. Would it have hurt him too much to wait until he came home to tell me so I wouldn't have to try to deal with all these feelings? I loved him so much and still do. I read what's going on over there everyday and look for any scrap of info on the 4th ID, praying that nothing happens to him. I cringe inside everytime I hear of one of ours getting shot or killed. The pain was almost more than I could bear, so tell Spc. J. that I'm right there with him and understand, but life does go on. There's a good woman out there for him. One that will be faithful to him alone. Love all you guys and pray for your safe return. You are all my heros. Hurry home...and keep writing. Love, Kris Posted by: Kris on July 11, 2003 11:41 AMPoor Spc J... Erica was completely out of line. It is so hard for all of you to be away from family and friends. You don't deserve a Dear John letter to boot!!! Erica was wrong by not walking away from the start. If she loved Spc J an ounce she would have walked away and at least then she would not have been doing something so evil. As for the room mate... he is just as much to blame and should be a man about the suituation. He should not have let this event occur!! He obviously has no balls and is not a mature individual. Well, on a higher note... Congrats to the new dads! Being a mother of a 14 month old, I know the joy of a child. I pray that these men are able to come home soon to see their new angels. God bless them and their families. Posted by: DJ on July 11, 2003 11:46 AMWell as an Army wife who's hubby just came home from the sandbox a week ago. I found him tan, trimmed and happy to be back in my arms. Boy did she screw up. He will be showered with free drinks, free meals and as much free love as he can take as soon as he walks into town. Thats just wrong but Karma baby will get her and she'll get her nail in the end too. J, it happened to me in Desert Storm. one thing i can tell you is this, the experience will allow to raise your standards and enable you to spot a better woman than the one who made the mistake of leaving you. Semper Fi and thank you guys for being there! Posted by: jay on July 11, 2003 04:18 PMhello! hey i think they should pass a law making it illegal for anyone to get a devorice while anyone in the military is over seas or other wise engaged in a war conflict or training or other wise. sorry about some military wifes and there sad tail of wow. but i know from nam many a good men got shoot because of dear job letters. i have abosulutly no sympathy for any miltary wife who thinks its ok during such times to write a dear john letter., heck get real where in the heck in a war are our guys going to find time let alone someone to fool around with someone seriously needs to get real here period. dear john letters are about the most self centered thing i have ever heard of and should be made illegal during war times. there is a place and time for such things i dont give a hoot what the poor me excuse is any one has for it . this is not the time or place for such self centered oh i can do it now that there to far away to do anything about it thoughts or letters. grrrrrrrrrrr. when they say support our troops they meant it in every way possible including using some common sence. which means keeping your mouth shut about feeling sorry for yourself until the time is right which to me is never. its not like none of us have suffered back home. sleepless nights and the works. it comes with the pride in being a family member of a military personal. bowi out and shame on you as well as live with the gult if your person gets harmed or captured or killed in action cause you wil never know the rest of your life if your dear john letter was a direct cause of any of it. grrrrrrrrrrr. like i said many a guy in nam took a bullet over a dear john letter something to seriously think about. with that i am out of here i am so disgusted with this person i cant even spit nails grrrrrrrrrr. Posted by: crissy on July 12, 2003 04:20 AMHello Will, Dear Friends Family and Fans of Will I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your support of the US troops over here. I also wanted to thank you all for the support and advice you all have given me through my misfortunes over here. Im glad Will can bring a little humor to your lives through my bad luck. Im very glad to have leaders and friends like Will and other soldiers like him, i feel the Erica situation could have been 100 times worse if i didnt have theses guys over here with me. I truly feel that this is not 'An Army of One' its a team and a family, and im just glad to have them. Thanks again for all you guys have done Spc J Posted by: Spc J on July 12, 2003 07:58 PMthat bitch!! Posted by: todd on July 12, 2003 10:32 PMHi, Will As for Erica her day will come believe me. As for all you guys please be safe and come home very soon. Posted by: carmen on July 14, 2003 09:08 AMHey Will, Ah, it's the same story over and over... boy sees girl... boy chases girl... boy loves girl... girl kinda likes him... girl says stuff she doesn't mean... girl is a bitch. Why can't it all be straight forward? Why is honesty such an issue with some people? I'll tell ya why, cuz they are COWARDS. Something that J. is not. He set aside his own personal safety like so many others. If she cannot value that, then she is simply worthless. The cruelness of it all is that he is helpless to do much about it, like you said. He can't go talk to her or anything. All he can do is try and forget about it for now. We all know the pain unfortunately. I sympathize. Keep the awesome view coming! I remain... Spec J - hang in there. Know that somewhere back home is a woman who will make that "hole" seem like a dim memory fading into the cobwebs of your mind. She's here, waiting. And someday, you'll find her. Meantime, keep your head down, soldier! MG Posted by: MG on July 16, 2003 09:32 AM(I found you via Lt. Smash.) Come home soon, come home safe. We're proud of you all and all are in our prayers. Tell "J" she's not worth his grief. If you're ever in Central Texas, let us be your host. Best regards Posted by: Sheron on July 16, 2003 11:08 AMHey Will and J: Glad to hear you're making plans to plan to meet to plan to pack .... Sounds like one of my days at work. J - listen to a much older woman - one day five years from now you will run into the slut-(see BIAACH) Erica - you'll look her over and start singing Garth Brook's song - Thank God for Unanswered Prayers. Because you will realize that she did you a BIG FAVOR (see huge) by doing this now and not later - like after you married her and had a child or two. Now that sucks! She's definitely NOT WORTHY of you. Will - there are women lining up to be your true blue! And that's HOOAH! Take care!! Ira Posted by: Ira on July 17, 2003 12:18 AMDuring WWII "Dear John's" were restricted somehow. Don't recall how. Military censors? Anyway, as someone who also just found this blog I want to encourage J to go through the pain and grief he needs to. Let it all out. Don't hold back. I can *promise* J there are plenty of single, patriotic women in the US who will find him an instant turn on, just because of what he's done for our country. I guarantee he'll have his pick of beauties when he arrives home. It's her loss, not his. Probably these sound like empty, meaningless words to J right now. I'd be willing to bet, that in a year or less he'll be glad because it will save him from having to ditch *her* because he's found someone else. Can't wait to read that book you keep talking about. Maybe they'll make a movie and you'll become famous? Wishing all the troops success and God's protection .. Christa Posted by: Christa on July 18, 2003 11:07 PMHey Will............I just wanted to first say that I really enjoy reading your articles. It sort of puts a lighter touch to this whole war issue. I can't stop reading about all of the things that happen over there. My good friend was just deployed to Pakistan on 15 July (my b-day) and I worry a lot but, as I have been for all of the rest of you thousands of miles away, I just pray that she will return safely. Hopefully ya'll will be coming home soon!!! As for the deal with poor J...........Erica is a pathetic excuse for a woman and she is the kind of person that gives the good women a bad rap. She could have waited until he got home to tell him. It is bad enough that he has to be so far away from his family and friends then that bitch(sorry can't help it) has to rip his heart out from many miles away. I truly feel sorry for her because she has probably trashed the best man she will ever have. What goes around comes around and she has hers coming. I just hope that he will make it ok until he gets back home where there will undoubtedly be all kinds of good women waiting to win his heart. Ok..........ya'll try to hang in there and be safe until you get to head back home. And tell J that Erica isn't worth the time and energy it takes him to fret over her childish antics . He'll win in the end.:-) God Bless all of you..........you are all my heroes!!!!! Dana Posted by: Dana on July 20, 2003 10:51 PMSubject: Dear John A soldier stationed in Iraq recently received a "Dear John" letter from his girlfriend back home. It read as follows: Dear Ricky, I can no longer continue our relationship. The distance between us is just too great. I must admit that I have cheated on you twice, since you've been gone, and it's not fair to either of us. I'm sorry. Please return the picture of me that I sent to you. Love, Becky The Marine, with hurt feelings, asked his fellow Marines for any snapshots they could spare of their girlfriends, sisters, ex-girlfriends, aunts, cousins etc. In addition to the picture of Becky, Ricky included all the other pictures of the pretty gals he had collected from his buddies. There were 57 photos in that envelope....along with this note: Dear Becky, I'm so sorry, but I can't quite remember who you are. Please take your picture from the pile, and send the rest back to me. Take Care, Ricky Doesn't get any better than that............................ Hello Will, Dedicate all Morning Will and company: Yes, congrats for this site, check those too Posted by: Sachdev Ulka on January 9, 2004 10:47 AMYeah, it's an old post. I know it sucks when you lose a girlfriend. Personally, I've never had to deal with it. It also sucks if she's screwing your best friend. It sucks bigtime. However, you have to realize that, though you might love someone, they might not love you back, or there just isn't enough time to bond. Personally, even though I'm still a sophomore in High School, I've had too many friends slip out from under me as seniors and never gotten their contact info. I kinda know how it feels to lose someone. That's it. They're gone forever. Best thing to do is sit up, and tell yourself you're gonna move on, and do it. Don't drink anything but gatorade or water, as anything else will put you out for the night. If you need to, think about it for a long time. The important thing is to remember the good times, and forget the bad. Trust me, if they leave you because you're away, then you don't want them. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and it didn't seem to happen this time around. You'll find someone where it'll work. Here's a small quote for you. It's always helped me. "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you..." Join the Linux community. Posted by: Paul on July 6, 2004 02:07 PMPost a comment
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Quotes
Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.
~General George S. Patton
Who's Will Anyway?
What's All This Then?
As most of the regular readers of Rooba.net know, I have a few friends that have been sent or called up for the soon-to-be-conflict in Iraq. One such friend is Will aka Will not weasel or Will from Omaha or whatever other moniker he's using on my site that day.
Will is a pretty good writer and this is the collection of his writings. It'll be interesting to hear updates from a soldier's point of view, so I'll be posting them for all to read. Take care Will ~Captain Rooba
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