Wayne's World 2005 Is a Clear Window into a Muddy Iraq
Soldier's Web log shows humanity of war through the eyes of soldiers in the 155th Brigade Combat Team.
(PRWEB) June 28, 2005 -- We blinked, and Memorial Day turned into Flag Day
with Independence Day just around the corner.
All this time, I've been
meaning to catch up with "Wayne's World." I finally did this week.
Wayne
is Sgt. Donald Wayne West Jr. of Monroe, the son of Rebecca McCormick (Becky
Bingham from her Neville High School days) and Don West. He's the grandson of
Gloria Moore and nephew of Judge and Mrs. Milton Moore.
And "Wayne's
World" is his Web log of experiences while deployed to Iraq. The blog also
contains messages, prayers and comments from those of us on the other side of
the world.
Wayne has been my local connection to Operation Iraqi Freedom
for the past five months, the soldier whose smiling face and sparkling brown
eyes I recall when I think of our military serving overseas.
He enlisted
in the Army National Guard on Sept. 11, 2001, a young man so powerfully moved by
events of that day he was compelled to get involved. His unit, Company A of the
150th Combat Engineers, reported for active duty last August before being sent
to Iraq in January.
When he's not soldiering, he's a student at Millsaps
College in Jackson, Miss., and has a beautiful fiance named Lauren Ritchie. But
let's get to Iraq.
Wayne's blog is as real as the sandstorms blasting
across the desert. The diary, managed and also contributed to by his mother, is
part documentary, part letter, part group prayer, part group hug. If you go to
the Web site listed above, I promise your heart will be touched.
Those of
us who live with the cold front-page news from the front — the kidnappings,
ambushes, car bombs and insurgents — can find the humanity of the war in Wayne's
World. We laugh at the jokes about the food and Wayne's "bottomless pit" of a
stomach, grimace at the photos of the dangerous desert creatures that sometimes
turn up in tents and feel the desperate longing of a family that seeks to be
reunited.
We find ourselves reciting the 23rd Psalm over a photo of the
guys asleep in a barracks, and we find solace for our own wounds in scripture
posted by Rebecca to encourage her son.
We see also the hearts of these
dedicated Americans as they strive to return some semblance of normal life to
this damaged world. In Wayne's World, our soldiers provide health care for
children. They have adopted a school. They deliver school supplies sent from
home, and worry that there aren't enough backpacks to go around. They notice
that no one has shoes, and prompt the families at home to collect shoes. They
give out toys and candy and supplies, building relationships and trust in a
place there's been little to trust for many years.
At this point, Wayne's
family believes he'll be able to come home on leave in August. I will be one of
many who give him a great big hug, and try to find the words to thank him for
his sacrifice.
It's Americans like Wayne who give real meaning to the
holiday we're all about to celebrate — Independence Day.
Kathy Spurlock
is executive editor of The News-Star. Call her at 362-0261, write her at P.O.
Box 1502, Monroe, LA 71210.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb255544.htm