Soldier: Goddamn you, Joe Enders!

[last words] Hail Mary... full of grace... our Lord is with thee. Holy Mary, Mother of God... pray for us...

Dear Rita...to answer your question... I'm listening. Your letters are the only thing that keep me going out here. As far as writing back... sorry it"s taken me this long.All I can think about is what you said sitting on the beach...about the world being a beautiful place.I just need a little help seeing it that way again. I want to come back, Rita. I want to see you again. Take a walk on that beach with you. Learn to live again. His name was Joe Enders. From South Philadelphia. He was a fierce warrior, a good Marine.

I ain't that drunk, Yahzee, you cut that horseshite out.

I'm a good fucking marine.

No one else is gonna die.

The men who fought with me got decorated, too for dying. So, the lieutenant was killed the night before. None of the sergeants even made it out of the landing crafts. That left me in charge. It was my first command. Orders were to hold some shitty swamp marsh on the ass-end of nowhere. And I did. All of the men under my command men who trusted me, who begged me, to pull back, not one of them made it. Just one stupid asshole. And for that, they gave me the Silver Star.