Letters From Afghanistan

Letters From Afghanistan - Chase's Letter

Hope you enjoy :)

Pic of Chase on the side ---->

  Dear Miss Haley Anderson,

I know you’re probably wondering who the hell I am, and why I’m writing you this letter, especially as it’s now a year after Chris’s death. But I feel that you deserve an explanation as to what happened that fateful day and I’m hoping I can give you the closure that you must desperately need.

I don’t know if Chris ever mentioned me to you, but I’ll tell you who I am in case he hasn’t.  I’m Chase Turner, we were in the same regiment and squadron, and I’ve been his best friend ever since we met in Iraq seven years ago. We weren’t exactly friends at first, I guess we were too similar for our own good, and we tended to clash at the best of times. But never the less, we understood each other, and apart from you and a few other guys here, we are all each other had.

I’m actually writing this a week after it happened. The memories still remain fresh in my mind, and keep replaying like a video set on repeat. It’s now getting to the point that I can hardly sleep at night, as I keep worrying about everything and blaming myself for not doing enough to save him.

I keep thinking of you, of what you must be going through over in the UK, not really knowing what had happened to your brother. And I know I have to write this, even if you just chuck it in the trash without a second glance, at least I’ve tried to help and give you an explanation.

I don’t know what exactly had happened before he left, he never really talked about it much. All he did say was that you two had a fight, and I can probably hazard a guess that it was due to him fighting over here. And if my guesses are correct, then you’re probably feeling like shit right now for that being the last time you saw your brother.

But he loved you, and I know he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for what had happened. Right before he went he actually told me to tell you that. He said that loved you, and not to blame yourself. I feel like I owe it to him to pass his last words on to you. I know how much it will mean to you to hear them, and I’m sorry that it’s taken so long for you to receive them, but I thought any earlier would be too soon for you. I expect you just needed time to get adjusted to living without him.

I hope you can forgive me for delaying it for so long, I’ve never done this before but if you feel anything of what I felt when I lost my parents, I know you would need a while to get your head around things. I just hope I’m not too late, and if my words can soothe your pain even a little, then I’ll know I’ve done the right thing.

I’m now going to tell you the details of what happened, I’ll give you an account of the whole day so you can see how happy he was that morning, rather than his last moments.

I feel like I should warn you that I’m not going to leave anything out. I don’t know what the army officials have told you about what happened, but I feel that you deserve the truth, and I’d feel wrong to leave anything out or to sugarcoat anything. I hope you understand.

I remember waking up at four thirty that morning, just as the sun was peeking over the hills on the horizon. Most of the other soldiers are still sleeping deeply, their loud guttural snores echoing around the small cramped room. We only got back here three hours ago after the night patrol around our base and surrounding land.

But despite being exhausted, I couldn’t sleep at all. I don’t know what it was, but there was a numb feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know what I expected to happen that day, but I certainly didn’t begin to imagine the horror that would entail that afternoon.