‘I Feel For My Family’

Letters home

Staff Sgt. Albert Velarde, 58, is a Spokane Transit Authority bus driver. He’s an emergency medical technician in Bosnia.

I missed my first Christmas with the military as a 17-year-old U.S. Marine in 1957. I was away from home for five straight Christmases after that, and many others since.

In Operation Desert Storm, we arrived in Germany on Dec. 17th.

I feel for my family and others, because family at home suffer more than we do. We know why we are here and not at home. Small kids don’t understand what this is all about. They just know their families are not together at Christmas.

This will be my last military deployment. The military has been a big part of my life. I will leave with fond memories. It has been a great ride.