Luck

No Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine I've ever talked to, past or present, has ever gone into a hostile area without carrying with him a reminder of home and all that he fights for.  We carry terrible weaponry and wear layers of heavy armor, but what really protects us from the constant stresses of war are the little things.  We bring them out in the lulls, when we need to breathe, to remember the shield-wall at our backs, holding us up and giving us the mental advantage we need to come through hell and back.

Warriors have sent letters home for millenia.  Scribbling a note on parchment, paper or keyboard and sending it off before the next blast from the trumpets of battle.  The letters which make it back, finding him on the march or in the foxhole, are the things which he holds dearest to his heart. 

From family, friends or even strangers with a little time on their hands and graciousness in their hearts, we gather these letters from the homefront.  This blog is a collection of letters I've collected and will continue to collect in the next year, a year I'm spending with my brothers in the 95th Sapper Company, Afghanistan.