You know before I was deployed the first time around to Afghanistan.  My life was extremely fast pace.  I was not a family person.  My mother was in her death bed and I feel now that I didn't even pay attention to this.  Life for me like I said was extremely fast pace. 

During last deployment I think is what did it for me.  It wan't for when I was being shot at by the enemy.  I think it was when I was wounded in action.  For what the Doctors have told me that I wasn't supposed to live.  I felt like my world had changed in less then 2 seconds.

Then I had to be brought I WRAMC to have surgery on my right hear.  I had no ear drum left.  Today I now wear a hearing aide because of this.  For what had happen I am not going to tell you.  It's not really meant for civilian ears to hear. 

When I returned back to Afghanistan, 2 days later I recieved a message from the American Red Cross.  I was need to come home due to my mother being rushed to the hospital and was not expected to make it.  My commanding officer had already started the paper to get me back to the The U.S..  When I read my letter, I still wasn't taking it seriously.  My commanding officer handed me the phone to call the hospital.  The hospital tried telling me to call back later; until I told them where I was calling from.  That is when they were obiligate to put me through to my mother.  This I kid you not was the last time I heard my mother voice.  She could hear my voice but she could not understand me.

After this i spoke to my father.  I asked him if I was needed home.  He cried in my ear and said that he wanted me home as soon as possible.  I told hime that i was on my way.  It took me about 3 days to touch down in the U.S.. I could not sleep during the whole trip.  When I finally came back to the U.S., I called my father.  I told him that I would come home now but I didn't want to risk getting into an accident during a 6 hour drive.  My father told me to go and get my sleep.  The next morning my one sister calls me to make sure that I was going to bring my military uniform with me.  That's when she told me that my mother didn't make it.

I was mad, hurt and upset all at the same time.  My rear dettachment was trying to help me out as much as possible.

Ever since then life has not been the same for me.  I know that my mother forgives me for what happened.  I also think about what she would of want from me.  And that's to simple be a good person as she had raised me to be and be happy.

Like I said, It take life to love life.

Well to tell you the truth and this is coming from people who I met in South Korea. I had many chances to speak to many elderly South Koreans when I was over there. They said to me that during the time when North Korea invaded South Korea to take over in Power, The South Koreans were either forced to move more down south to get away from them or to surrender to them and become North Korean.

When the U.S.Military stepped in along with many other allied nations, They thought they would have to adapt to American culture. Supprizingly they seen that the Americans respected their culture but didn't why until they seen that U.S. in made up of many different cultures.

They said to me that, that is why the U.S. is so strong. One South Korean told me of a song that was made during this war. He tried to sing the whole thing in english but wasn't able to becasue it's such a sad song. But for what he sung went like this.

It is cold and snowing,
the North Koreans are attacking and we have no place to go,
It feels too cold to move towards south to get away from them,
But we have to try even if it mean to die,
Oh god please let them not take our freedom,
Oh god please not let take our country,

He also told me that he remembers his mother and father trying to hide them, it was a horrible time he said.