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A Few Letters from Readers Correspondence arising from Mr. Marks poetry has come in, literally by the hundreds, from around the world, sharing reactions from inside sandy foxholes to those within nuclear submarines deep beneath the sea, from Iraq to Bosnia to Okinawa, from moms and dads, brothers and sisters. Some are too personal to publish, but a small sample are shared here. ----- Dear Michael-- Yesterday, on Pearl Harbor Day, we held our annual Christmas concert, and at the end of the program I read your poem, "A Soldier's Christmas". I knew it was going to be difficult to do, especially since I am an emotional person by nature, but your poem was so beautiful and meaningful that I really felt I had to try. I did OK until I reached the last verse, and then had the unfortunate experience of breaking down in front of quite a lot of people. But when I was finally able to choke out the last words and I looked up, I realized that I didn't need to be ashamed of crying in public-I wasn't alone-not by a long shot! After the concert, an older man whom I had never met before came over to me and put his arm around me. He said "You did good. I served in Viet Nam, and right now my son is in the Air Force somewhere in Iraq. People need to hear these things, they need to be reminded." ----- Dear Mr. Marks, I am a United Methodist pastor and a Vietnam veteran A-4 pilot: VMA-211 Chu Lai, RVN, April 1968 - May 1969. I found your poem at vietvet.org and appreciate it very much. I am writing to ask your permission to read it to my congregation on Christmas Eve. ----- Dear Michael, as a mother who lost her son in the towers on September 11, I can understand more than most how fragile life and safety can be. Thank you for reminding the world that freedom really isn't free and that if we are not strong, war can come home in the blink of an eye. ----- More letters will be posted shortly...
A GROWING COLLECTION Amid the many letters sent to Mr. Marks, service personnel from around the world have graciously sent unit patches as a gesture of friendship. These have become the basis of a growing and deeply cherished collection. Anyone seeking to write in person can do so to: Michael Marks |
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