As many of you know, our oldest son, Tyler, is currently depl*yed. I do not mention what he does because we are not really allowed to talk about it, as he is part of an Elite Forc*.
When Tyler was about 8 years old he said to me, “Mom, someday I would like to be in the military to thank the United States for letting me come home to you.” He joined 2-1/2 years ago, after doing a ministry internship. Tyler is currently 23 years old and on his second deployment. We are so very proud of him and we miss him unbearably. We have many sleepless nights and spend much time on our knees.
We long to have him stateside so we could talk to him on the phone or text with him. He has a hysterical sense of humor. He loves his siblings and they miss him terribly. We thank the Lord for his patriotism, his sacrifice and his heroism – along with the rest of those who serve in our military. We will never be able to thank the Lord enough for bringing him from the other side of the world to be our son.
This deployment we have not heard much from Tyler. But in my inbox this morning were two letters from him. One was a personal letter and then there was this one:
Maybe you can post this on your blog.
For those of you who are diligently praying for the troops I ask you to pray for America. At some point during this war, the death of American soldiers in combat has become unacceptable.
What has become unacceptable is the American public calling for a withdrawl. Our grandparents during World War II had ration cards, victory gardens and a nationwide speed limit of 40 (due to the wear and tear on tires since rubber was in such a short supply). The American public has sacrificed nothing. If anything they have only benefitted from the fact this war has stabilizd this corroding economy.
The fact of the matter is, America, not the troops has become the casualty in this conflict. The will that got our great-grandparents through the depression has disappeared. The heart that got young men through the draft in both World Wars also has dissipated. The heroism that was so commmon in Vietnam has now become a rarity.
I have served in multipule theatres and can say from absolute truth I know exactly what I have signed up for. I have lost friends. But through it all I know exactly what I have to do and that is press on.
Sadly, the same America I signed up to defend is not the America I know now. This war on terrorism has been reduced to coffee talk at colleges and debates on the media. For those of you out there who know how to fix this conflict or at least tell your friends how to, sign up, suit up, and come on over. There’s plenty of room for all.
I will get off my soapbox now…..I will ask you once more though, pray for America.
Very Respectfully, Tyler
Tyler making fun of Emmy for texting so much….
Three days before the fire and the night before Tyler left for his depl*yment….JPG)
Missing Abi, Ryan and Jubilee
What an amazing young man! His words are brave and strong and reflect that of many other soldiers/sailors in the military.
We continue to pray for you Tyler and the rest of the troops.
Many blessings, Lisa C.
Rock on Tyler! :o)
I have a question that I have been pondering and am just going to ask … why do you frequently use ‘*’ such as in ‘depl*yed’? I have noticed this often and am quite curious!
Thanks!
Michelle
Tyler’s letter speaks for itself. Well-written, and what a reminder. Thank you for the sacrifice that your family has made. The time away from your son and the worrying the goes along with it is something I can hardly imagine.
Sounds like a man I would like to know, and would love to have my back in any situation. good job on gr8 parenting… ( I know,,,,I know….but he really spoke to my testosterone….)Rach and I are still praying for him and the rest of your family….
simply amazing, your son and the job you did as parents. I have nothing, but respect for those who serve and to here one speak so boldly is wonderful. no doubt, pleasing to the Father.
Amen!!!!!
Thank you for putting it si eloquently
Tammy
What a great letter! May we copy it elsewhere so more people can hear it?
I love your new blog look!
He is an amazing man, with an amazing call. You know how much we adore Tyler – it is a joy and an honor to be able to continue to pray for him.
Tyler –
We are proud of you, too! We pray for you often. We will take your advice and pray for America. Our country does need the prayers – your words hit the mark! Thank you for your wise words.
Love In Christ,
Janet, Kevin, Ted, and Philip
Ummmm……I have a 21 year old single daughter who loves Jesus …..would you be open to arranging a marriage? I want that young man as my son in law!
Seriously, though, I know you are so proud of your son. I am so thankful that there people like him who are willing to serve.
Tyler gets it. He sees the “real” problem in America. He has much wisdom for such a young man.
Tyler is an amazing man. You’ve done well, Linny.
JOn recently was able to visit some of Saddam’s palaces. One that really got his blood pumping was visiting the “Victory Over America” palace. The palace never had the opportunity to be completed. But during the tour, he learned so much more history, and it brought the reason why he is over there into the forefront. It renewed his vigor for what he’s doing, for our country, for the people of Iraq, and for God.
That was spoken so well spoken. As a former Army wife (my husband passed away due to cancer from the Gulf)I could not be more proud of our troops. My husband on his death bed desired to be over there. I now have a son in law heading out soon on his second trip. God Bless you all! Always in my prayers.
Teresa
Wow,
You can sure tell Tyler is a Saunder because his words are powerful and soooo very true.
Praying for Tyler, the others serving and America BIG time.
What an amazing son your have. You should be very proud of him.
Mandi
Thanks so much for sharing Tyler’s note
My 24 year old son served 2 tours in Iraq. He, too, had friends die. He, too, was proud to serve his country, but not proud of how his country chose not to serve him.
Laurel
Wow. I got choked up reading this post. Those are the words of a MAN. A REAL MAN. Unlike what we see so much of these days with guys his age. Ty truly has a grip on right and wrong…good vs. evil.
You should be (as I know you are) very, very, very proud of him. And as an American I’m proud of him too and am extremely thankful for his service. God will no doubt richly bless him.
Thank you for sharing that. I wish the entire country could read that.
Wow! Well said! I put on a note on my Facebook profile asking people to read your post and his letter because it was so well said. I did not copy/paste any portions as tempted as I was. It was soooo well written. Thank you for sharing!!
Well written Tyler! You make all of us special f*rces mamas proud!!! Praying for you and all our military and our leaders.
So well said. I will absolutely pray for America, and will pray for Tyler as well!! Our children are our hearts and it must be SO hard to have your heart over on the other side of the world. He seems like such a fun guy and I can’t wait til he’s home safe with you!!
Linn,
I just read the letter that Tyler wrote and am now waiting for my husband(who by the way is completely all AMERICAN! He goes out of his way to give a hand shake a hug and a heartfelt thank you to every American Soldier past or present who is out there or has been out there defending our country) to get back in the house so that I can read it to him. My eyes are welling with tears because of the absolute truth in the words that he wrote. I would like to let Tyler know that we The Boucher family in Arizona support what he does and what his buddies do every day. We pray for them every night at our dinner table. AND WE NEVER FORGET! Thank you for your service Tyler! Thank You!!
Linn,
Tyler hit the nail right on the head. Thank you Tyler for your truthful words. Most importantly, thank you for your service to the America that we all love, remember, and long for again. God bless you all.
Lori Anne
Awesome. My sentiments exactly. What an amazing young man! I know you must be so very proud!
Well said, Tyler. Thank you for serving. My prayers are with you.
Your son is such a patriot, and I thank him for it. He is also wise beyond his years, and I thank him for stating things so well. I want you to know that ever since your e-mail, I have added him to my morning prayer list along with my own two military sons.
Again, thank you, Tyler!
Linda from Northern Colorado
Dear Tyler,
You have no idea who are family is, but we want you to know that YOU and so many others in our nations military are the ones who have made it safe to put our heads on our pillows at night without fear.
You are so correct in your letter that our nation is no longer the same nation you signed up to defend. My heart is very heavy as I type that. I never thought we would see the day when our nation had a leader whose first official phone calls would be made to Arab leaders with strong suspected ties to terrorism.
Please know we are on our knees for you and your friends that serve beside you and pray that our nation doesn’t find out the hard way that what you are trying to defend is so critical.
Thank you for your open letter. May God grant mercy on our nation as we have turned so far from Him. May God also bring our new leader to His knees to seek Christ’s guidance as he continues his years in power.
Tyler is a hero to me…I will keep praying for his protection.
What a wonderful young man you have raised! He is so right in his letter to us. Thank you for your lovely words on my blog comments. I would like as many people praying as I can get. Thank you for being one of them!!!
He is so right. We are spoiled. We are not willing to give up anything for anyone, and this is terribly sad. Prayers for his safety! He is a REMARKABLE young man!
Wow, it sounds like Tyler has got the gift of writing just like his mom! The letter was very well written and so full of truth. I have been a military spouse for 17+ years and what Tyler says is true. We need to pray for America and pray hard.
Hugs,
Robin
Tyler is an amazing young man, he loves to laugh so hearing his heart for America and the seriousness in his letter is so awesome. Thenk you for posting this Linn.. you’ve raised an awesome young man. lv, jen
heart-aching and so true! I just watched Courage under Fire last night and am so impressed with the heart of some of our soldiers!
prayer hugs.
What an amazing young man. You can be very proud of him. Continued prayers for him and for your family…
Thank you so much for sharing Tyler’s letter! It gives me hope to hear that someone his age has such understanding. I’m so proud of our soldiers. They are in my prayers often. May we humble ourselves, seek and pray, so that God will heal our land.
Now I am going to get on my soapbox.Our son Steven has also been to Iraq twice and he just turned 24 on Saturday, We felt the same pride and total utter , I have no words for it thankfulnees to our Lord above for bringing him home both times. As you know it is completely humbling. It is unbelievable how familiar your precious sons letter was to us. We have a big ffamily like yourself and we are always sitting around having really deep conversations about politics and christianity. And everything Tyler said is completely how we feel. I will pass this on in an email with your permission. And from our family will you please tell Tyler how much he is loved, respected and prayed for from here in Texas. god bless him , the soldiers, our country, and your entire family.
Love and blessings, Kristy
Whoo hoo to Tyler! So well written and obviously something that so many of us think about but are unsure how to say it since we aren’t over there ourselves. I’m proud to know him! And I’m thankful for him and all the people serving. What a gift they are to all of us!
Powerfully written Tyler! Thank you for your open letter.
My husband (Active Duty Air Force*, 26 years and counting), had this to say about Ty’s letter, “Very true and well said. Our military is NOT about quitting early, before the job is DONE.”
Thank you Ty for your dedication and sacrifice. Thank you for speaking the truth, even when it’s hard stuff . . . especially when it’s hard stuff.
Linn and Dwight, thank you for raising up a very wise son. Praying for the Lord to ease the heartache that comes with the separation from the son you love so dearly. May He continue to hide Ty under the shadow of His wings.
With love and thankfulness from Texas~
Tina
(Proud military wife and mom)
Wow Linny–you must be so proud of your boy. What an amazing letter.
I am soooo happy for you that your got a sweet note from your dear son, precious friend. I know it must have done your heart GOOD 🙂 Just what you needed.
Sending you heaps of love. Praying that everyone in your home is feeling so much better.
You are SUCH a blessing!
Thank you for posting that letter. He is so right, What have we sacrificed? Yes many have lost loved ones to this war but many have also lost loved ones to plane and car crashes too. My husband is in the Navy and was there when the war started in March 2003 when our 1st born was only 2 weeks old. He sacrificed being there for the entire pregnancy and the birth of his first child. But that is it, nothing else really and and anything else he has missed was not because of this war. Yet I find myself complaining all the time that he has to stay late at work one or two days, or he can’t take off for Spring Break to take our kids to Lego Land. I complain about all the petty little things that happen in our day to day lives. How selfish can I be?! I have not lost anyone during this war and I thank my God that I haven’t. My husband has not had to set foot on enemy soil yet I complained that he couldn’t be home for Christmas. I have sacrificed NOTHING, yes I have to raise our children alone for 6 months ever other year and I have to deal with all the house work by myself for a while but I knew when we got married that “WE” were going to be in the Navy. There are many days that I do wish that I could sign up and gear up but medically that would be impossible so here I am “stuck” here in our FREE nation with all the luxeries God has given us, yet I’m still complaining.
Not anymore! Thank you Tyler for opening my eyes to my selfish pride. I am so blessed to be here with my family, with medical care and electricity and cable and the internet and everything I need. I don’t have to beg for food, I have a roof over my head and nice clothed to wear. I’m not sleeping with one ear open, ready to jump into battle. I’m safe, and I’m Free. Thank you for being strong and courageous and for following God’s calling. Thank you for sacrificing.
And Linny, Thank you for allowing your son to go off to a foreign land to make sure that I and the rest of us can sleep through the night and wake up in the morning with the Right to complain. And thank you for teaching me that God has given me so much and that I have NOTHING to complain about.
I’m sorry this was so long I just really wanted to share my heart with you. God bless you and your family and I will be praying for Tylers’ safe return home.
Jenn
Thank you Tyler!!! Your words are such an encouragement for me to stand up for our country.
Off the subject…
I’ve been meaning to tell you for awhile now how I pray for Jubilee. My mom gave me these towels many years ago and one of them always ends up on the top of the pile and therefore, always hanging up in the bathroom. The tag is worn and you can barely make out a faint word..”Jubilee”. Those words meant nothing until I started reading your blog. Now everytime I see it, I remember to pray for sweet, sweet Jubilee.
Have a great day!
Linny, WHAT A GREAT YOUNG MAN!
I just sent you an email using the link from your sidebar. I received your comment on my blog this morning and I am sorry that you are having issues sending me an email! I look forward to chatting with you!
Blessings,
-Nicole
http://www.bakerssweets.blogspot.com
Tyler you rock!!! You have our respect, our support and our prayers!!!! THANK YOU for what you are doing!
Love,
Kathie
Tyeler, you rock!!! You have our respect, our support and our prayers!!!!
Love
Kathie
Many thanks to you and to your son. I so wish that the media, that we all hear and see, would report the views of those that are actually over there protecting our great nation. I have also heard similar stories from a friend, an uncle and others that have actually served over there multiple times. I am grateful for the blessed nation that I live in, but I do pray that as a nation we turn back to the values and morality (God’s values, not ours) that many fought to protect.
great letter. makes me proud to be an American.
great letter. makes me proud to be an American.
Tyler,
We are praying for you, your fellow soldiers (which includes my own son) and our country. Thank you for such a wonderful reminder of why you all are there. May God bless you and keep you safe.
Many blessings,
Monica
Proud Army Mom of David
Not only is your son brave, but he is brilliant. As with so many things in life if it doesn’t directly effect us then it’s not considered a priority.
I will continue to pray for our troops and I want you thank Tyler on my behalf for reminding us of why so many make the sacrafice.
Linny,
Thank you for sharing this letter from an incredible young man and YOUR SON!!! I am asking for your permission to copy his letter and a few pics to put on my blog in support of him!!!
Mr. Daddy called me to the computer to read this. I was blown away by Tyler’s words. Convicted and saddened and proud all in one reading.
Please, may I post this on our blog as well? Our bloggy friends know I am prouder than all get out of my grandfather who returned home from Iwo Jima and the Solomon Islands. I would love to spread Tyler’s message to our sweet circle of friends as well.
Please let me know – I wanted to ask permission first!
Much love. Thank you for sharing.
(and I am still waking in the night praying for your oldest boy).
Tyler—You really do rock! I am so very thankful for you and the way you serve our country!!! I get very upset when people continue to complain about the things you spoke of in your letter. Have faith, there are still Americans who are proud of their troops and have SO MUCH respect and admiration for you!
Jessica
Houston, TX
(my brother in law leaves for Afghanistan in August)
What a intelligent, amazing young man you have for a son!! I know you are proud!!!! I am proud of him…
xo, Jen
Linny – thank you for the permission to share Tyler’s letter on our blog. Hope you don’t mind that I included a picture and a video tribute as well?
Please stop by the blog when you have a chance and let me know if anything needs to be changed.
Thank you again – we love you guys and are still praying.
http://tris-adventures.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-do-you-say-thank-you.html
Dear Tyler,
What an AMAZING letter! I so wish everyone in America could read this letter! It’s so sad to me that our country idolizes and makes heroes out of movie stars, athletes and even politicians, when it’s men and women like you who are the real heroes and the role models that our children should look up to and respect.
I will have my sons read your letter so that they can read what the heart of a real man is like.
You are a blessing to your family and your country. I pray that God will keep you safe and that He will continue to use you to shine His glory into a dark world!
Many Blessings,
Sharla
Oh Tyler, the America you signed up to defend is still here.
Our voices are rarely heard by the biased media, but we are here and we are praying for you. My father was a Vietnam Veteran, and I have nothing but respect and admiration for those that serve our country. It is a difficult task that you and your fellow servicemen and women took on, but you beleived in America. Your sacrifice blesses us and keeps our freedom. We are a thankful country, though you may not hear it often enough. Know that there are so many Americans that are ever grateful for your service.
We still believe in the American Dream and thank you for helping us keep it.
Blessings,
Stacy
Tyler,
Thank you so much for your service to your country and to your King. As a former soldier and current military civilian, I am thankful that there are young people like you who heed the call despite the opposition. God is good. Ultimately he will win the battle. It may not be the way we see it or want it but he is in charge. Don’t give up hope on America. There are still some of us out there who believe. Thanks again.
Praying for our troops and praying for your incredible son, Tyler.
Blessings,
Jenn