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                         June 7, 2002

Community Mailbox

Commentary by Spc. Christina Davis

The men of Alpha and Bravo Companies of New York City’s Fighting 69th Infantry began their force protection mission at West Point on Thanksgiving Day, after nearly six weeks of service at Ground Zero.

It was the first time many of the ‘citizen soldiers’ had been separated from their families on a major holiday. But the people of West Point and Highland Falls made that separation bearable.

Every other car we stopped at the gate had turkey or pie or warm drinks. Every other person we stopped around the cadet area wished us a happy Thanksgiving. And virtually everyone we met said ‘thank you.’

Six months later, about half of us are finally going home. But before we go, we wanted to say ‘thank you, back.’

What started for many as a few weeks away from home turned into months of active, unaccompanied duty. Many people took significant cuts in pay. Many others fell behind their contemporaries at their regular jobs. A year or more of college education was aborted for more than two dozen students. And fathers who left the active military to spend more time with their families missed scores of school plays or birthday parties or baseball games.

But always, there was the kindness of the West Point and Highland Falls communities There were the homemade cookies. There were the pizza pies and bagels dropped off at the gates. And there were the countless smiles and ‘atta-boys’ that made it all seem a little better.

On behalf of the departing citizen-soldiers of Alpha and Bravo Companies, thank you. All of you have made the separation and sacrifice our men have encountered since September bearable. In fact, half of our force has volunteered to stay on; your support is no small part of that.

And I know the soldiers of the 1/258 Field Artillery coming to replace those of us who are leaving will benefit from your caring as much as we did.