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".