By Dorothy Winnick

He said, "Mom I want to join the Marines, please sign these papers,

I am only 17."

I said okay.

911 happened

Are you sure?

"Yes please let me go, I know I have to go."

I said okay. He was only 18.

They said you young Marines will go to war and some will not come back.

He said, "Don't worry; I have to fight for our country."

I said okay. He was only 19.

He marched up to Baghdad.

Sand swirled all around, the heat was extreme, water was scarce, and sleep was little.

Hungry, tired and dirty, he marched, he fought, and he saw his friends die before his eyes.

He came back thin and sick.

He said God was with him.

He rested and ate and recovered. He trained. He prepared for another deployment.

He said, "I have to go, my fellow Marines and country need me."

I said okay. He was only 20.

He fought in the biggest and deadliest battle of the war, the Battle of Fallujah

He stormed houses, He searched for the enemy.

The explosions were tremendous, the gunfire relentless, and blood covered the streets.

He fought, he prayed, I prayed, he was hit but nothing happened, he stepped on an IED, but nothing happened.

I prayed, he prayed.

He received the letters we wrote and the ones from his sister's students.

I said, "did you read the letters?"

He said, "I passed them out to other Marines, they needed them."

I said did you get the food I sent?

He said, "I passed it out to my fellow Marines, they needed it."

I said okay.

He fought hard, he did his duty, he came back.

He rested, he ate, he slept, he trained, and he prepared for another deployment.

He said, "I have to go, my fellow Marines and country need me."

I said okay. He was only 21.

He battled the enemy, the IED's, the heat, the sand, and endured the deaths.

He caught and cooked a chicken on Thanksgiving and shared it with all around him.

I said did you get the cookies we sent?

He said, "I passed them out to the Iraqis, they needed them."

He ate with them, he sat with them, and he read his Bible with them.

They said "Thank you, please read more," he said okay.

I said, "did you get the coolpaks I sent you?"

He said, "I passed them out to my troops, they needed them."

He fought the heat, the sand, the freezing cold, fatigue, and the enemy.

He came home, he rested, he ate, he slept, and he trained. He was 22.

He prepared for another deployment.

He was told we will go on a boat around the world, don't worry it will be safe this time.

I said okay. He was only 23.

He slept in bunks stacked 3 high and side-by-side. Only inches separating each Marine.

He trained and prepared.

His ship arrived in Kuwait. He knew, I knew.

He again marched to his destination.

He battled the heat, the sand, the IED's, and the enemy.

He was trained to protect his troops, to seek out the enemy, to do what he was trained.

He encouraged his troops, he held the ones that died and stood by, so others would not see the blood. He comforted his fellow Marines and advised and helped them prepare.

He did all that he was trained to do. He made the right decisions. He had no doubt.

He called, he said, "something happened, please don't worry."

He said, "I did what I was trained to do, I made the best decision I could."

He said I can't talk about it but something happened please don't worry.

I said okay. I prayed, I prepared, I was ready.

He came home, he rested, he ate, he prepared for another battle.

He said don't worry my innocence will be shown.

He prepares for battle, a battle here at home, a battle for doing his job.

He said don't worry.

I said okay. I prepare. I pray.

He is only 24.