‘The Children Are Our Hope And Future’

Thu., Dec. 25, 1997

Letters home

Spec. Jeanna Martin, a 32-year-old bookkeeper, lives in Post Falls, Idaho, with her sons, Kevin, 5, and Aaron, 7. She is a chaplain’s assistant in Bosnia.

In this time of celebration of family and the birth of the Christ Child, I wish I were with my own children so I could give them the love they need and deserve. I wish that people throughout the world would look into the eyes of the children and see what real unconditional love is.

The children are our hope and our future. Yet they are the ones who get hurt the most by the decisions we make today.

Hatred and prejudice are not traits children are born with. Adults teach them. So why are we surprised at the violence in the world? Violence begets violence. I have learned during this deployment that the cycle of violence has to stop with me and what I teach my children.

Operation Joint Guard has taught me that all nations can work and live together in peace and unity. I hope and pray that the children of these countries will grow up being the greatest generation of strong yet peaceful leaders the world has ever known.

These children more than most have seen that war is not the way. This is my greatest Christmas wish - for these children and for myself.

Miracles can and do happen.

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