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Then

,

when

I

read

it

,

it

still

seemed

like

a

mistake

.

I

had

to

check

the

address

and

the

return

address

to

convince

myself

that

he

had

written

it

and

had

meant

it

for

me

.

MY

DEAR

BOY

,

I

would

have

written

to

you

much

sooner

to

express

my

delight

and

my

pride

in

learning

that

you

had

not

only

volunteered

to

serve

but

also

had

chosen

my

own

service

.

But

not

to

express

surprise

it

is

what

I

expected

of

you

except

,

possibly

,

the

additional

and

very

personal

bonus

that

you

chose

the

M.

I.

Отключить рекламу

This

is

the

sort

of

consummation

,

which

does

not

happen

too

often

,

that

nevertheless

makes

all

of

a

teacher

's

efforts

worth

while

.

We

necessarily

sift

a

great

many

pebbles

,

much

sand

,

for

each

nugget

--

but

the

nuggets

are

the

reward

.

By

now

the

reason

I

did

not

write

at

once

is

obvious

to

you

.

Many

young

men

,

not

necessarily

through

any

reprehensible

fault

,

are

dropped

during

recruit

training

.

I

have

waited

(

I

have

kept

in

touch

through

my

own

connections

)

until

you

had

'

sweated

it

out

'

past

the

hump

(

how

well

we

all

know

that

hump

!

)

and

were

certain

,

barring

accidents

or

illness

,

of

completing

your

training

and

your

term

.

You

are

now

going

through

the

hardest

part

of

your

service

--

not

the

hardest

physically

(

though

physical

hardship

will

never

trouble

you

again

;

you

now

have

its

measure

)

,

but

the

hardest

spiritually

...

the

deep

,

soul-turning

readjustments

and

re-evaluations

necessary

to

metamorphize

a

potential

citizen

into

one

in

being

.

Or

,

rather

I

should

say

:

you

have

already

gone

through

the

hardest

part

,

despite

all

the

tribulations

you

still

have

ahead

of

you

and

all

the

hurdles

,

each

higher

than

the

last

,

which

you

still

must

clear

.

But

it

is

that

"

hump

"

that

counts

--

and

,

knowing

you

,

lad

,

I

know

that

I

have

waited

long

enough

to

be

sure

that

you

are

past

your

"

hump

"

or

you

would

be

home

now

.

When

you

reached

that

spiritual

mountaintop

you

felt

something

,

a

new

something

.

Perhaps

you

have

n't

words

for

it

(

I

know

I

did

n't

,

when

I

was

a

boot

)

.

So

perhaps

you

will

permit

an

older

comrade

to

lend

you

the

words

,

since

it

often

helps

to

have

discrete

words

.

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Simply

this

:

The

noblest

fate

that

a

man

can

endure

is

to

place

his

own

mortal

body

between

his

loved

home

and

the

war

's

desolation

.

The

words

are

not

mine

,

of

course

,

as

you

will

recognize

.

Basic

truths

can

not

change

and

once

a

man

of

insight

expresses

one

of

them

it

is

never

necessary

,

no

matter

how

much

the

world

changes

,

to

reformulate

them

.

This

is

an

immutable

,

true

everywhere

,

throughout

all

time

,

for

all

men

and

all

nations

.

Let

me

hear

from

you

,

please

,

if

you

can

spare

an

old

man

some

of

your

precious

sack

time

to

write

an

occasional

letter

.

And

if

you

should

happen

to

run

across

any

of

my

former

mates

,

give

them

my

warmest

greetings

.

Good

luck

,

trooper

!

You

've

made

me

proud

.

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