Letter: The father of a soldier fighting in Afghanistan prays for peace

Every step forward in the war-torn country seems punctuated by a bombing and death.

Father of soldier fighting in
Afghanistan prays for peace

Re: “3 US soldiers, contractor killed in attack in Afghanistan” (Eastbaytimes.com, April 8):

Half-listening to the national news last week while cooking dinner, we heard “Afghanistan,” “American soldiers killed,” “Bagram Air Base.” Like many of the families of the 14,000 soldiers now in Afghanistan, we went on high alert.

Later, we learned our Army staff sergeant son was OK.

Peace talks that may have momentum are underway. But it is a perilous country. Every step forward seems punctuated by a bombing and death. After 18 years, the U.S. dead: 2,378, (seven so far in 2019). The wounded: Thousands of our soldiers have been permanently disabled and suffer from PTSD, hearing loss, etc. The cost: A trillion dollars.

We were pretty confident our son was OK, but remained tense overnight because the location of the bombing is near his current assignment. He wasn’t able to contact us right away. His text greeted us the next morning: “I’m fine,” he wrote. “…Keep praying for peace.”

Stephen Wright
Dublin

 

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