TO
MY BROTHER, LANCE CORPORAL HOSSEIN SHARIFI
UNITED STATES MARINE CORP
FEBRUARY 26, 1991
MY BROTHER WENT TO BOOT CAMP, A CHILDISH
LITTLE BOY, TO BE SHAPED AND MOLDED, A
DRILL INSTRUCTOR’S TOY.
ALTHOUGH IT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE, HIS
MOTIVATION WAS SO STRONG, DREAMS OF HIS
FAMILY AND FRIENDS MADE THE MONTHS SEEM
SO LONG.
GRADUATION FINALLY ARRIVED, IT SEEMED
THAT YEARS WENT BY, WE FLEW TO SAN DIEGO
OUR EMOTIONS WERE SO HIGH.
WE WATCHED HIM MARCH AND WE WERE OVERWHELMED
WITH JOY, WE WERE FINALLY GOING TO SEE OUR
SO CALLED "LITTLE BOY".
WE GREETED HIM WITH HAPPINESS AND WE FELT
A SENSE OF PRIDE, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT WE COULD TELL BY HIS PROUD
STRIDE. WE ALL JUST SAT AND STARED, IT
WASN’T HOW WE DREAMED, THE BOY WAS NOW A
MAN, A FAITHFUL PROUD MARINE.
MANY MONTHS HAVE PASSED AND PEACE SEEMED
TO FADE AWAY, A CRUEL MAN NAMED SADDAM
WAS DESTROYING OUR WORLD DAY BY DAY.
AS WE WAITED FOR A PHONE CALL FROM
OUR TALL AND STRONG MARINE, TIME SUDDENLY
STOPPED, WELL, THAT’S JUST HOW IT SEEMED.
HE TOLD US HE WAS SHIPPING OUT FOR
OPERATION DESERT SHIELD. THE ONE THING
WE HOPED WOULD PAY OFF WAS HIS TRAINING
IN THE FIELD.
EACH DAY WE WATCHED THE NEWS, HOPING
FOR HIS SAFE RETURN, DAYS WERE GOING BY
THE WORLD JUST TURNED AND TURNED.
SOON THE WORD WAS OUT, THE UNITED STATES
WAS READY TO FIGHT. I SENT HIM ALL MY
LOVE AND I GAVE HIM ALL MY MIGHT.
AS WE HEARD THE PRESIDENT SPEAK, WE TRIED
NOT TO MOURN, AS OPERATION DESERT SHIELD
TURNED INTO DESERT STORM
.
ALTHOUGH I’M VERY YOUNG, I HAVE A LOT TO
SAY, THIS POEM BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF
WHEN WE USED TO PLAY.
HIS SAFE RETURN IS MY ONLY WISH, MY ONLY
THOUGHT, MY DREAM. ALL THERE IS LEFT TO
SAY IS, "HOSSEIN, YOU ARE THE WIND
BENEATH MY WINGS".
YOUR LITTLE SISTER, SORAYA, AGE 14